Chapter Text
Hello Dear Readers,
It has been a very long time since I put my words on paper. I must confess that I have not been inspired much as I have been busy in real life. But I have gotten the writer's touch again and I want to share this story that came from the depths of the mind. Many might recall of a story I wrote back in 2020 or so entitled From Cage to Belly, it was an idea of mine set in the real modern world that tried to explore dark themes, crossovers of all different types of animated shows, and a little bit of Jerza (the ship name for Erza Scarlet and Jellal Fernandes from Fairy Tail) here and there. That had fallen flat on its knees and won't be updated anymore. I feel that it was not worth my time for that. However, that child labor fanfic, the Jerza bits, and the crossovers still lingered in my mind, and I decided to go to what I did best, look into history. The song Sixteen Tons got into my head with its bluesy rhythms and harmony and overall expression of a time when many miners lived in company towns in poor conditions that inspired me to look through the lens of the industrial revolution. This does not take place in Great Britain or America at the turn of the century, but in a kingdom similar to Britain called Alvion. This story will focus more on the child labor aspect, but also take a look at upper society's morals and the impoverished who are forced to relinquish their children to dangerous jobs. It makes sense since both Erza and Jellal were enslaved in a place that had the same feel as a mine. As a standard disclaimer, I do not own any of the cartoons or anime used in this story. They are property of their creators and therefore rightful owners, whomever they might be. Also, the following events are purely fictional, besides the names of the nations, wonders, and great people and have no ties to any other peoples, historical events, etc. and any relation is coincidental. The ships in the FanFiction are canon to most fandoms but some are made up. Most of the character's ages will remain the same unless written as otherwise. This fic will be rated PG-13 for violence, language, and dark themes, and there are trigger warnings for child labor. Please enjoy this simple, and dark story about two children trying to make their way in the mines, with the issues and societal questions of the day.
Best Regards, Nicoville20
Sixteen Tonnes
Chapter 1 - The Village of Rosemary
"Ugh. This village stinks. The stench of the poor is penetrating my noble nose" says a stout gentleman as he walks through a small village, ravaged by poverty and destitution. In this great industrial kingdom that is Alvion, modernization has been the key to great success in the maximum amount of profits and the driving force of the economy. The world runs on Alvion time and innovation. All of this is fueled by factories and new vehicles powered by coal. Getting coal is half the struggle, as it had to be extracted from the earth. Fortunately, there is a company dedicated to the extraction of coal that runs almost all of the coal mines in Alvion. The Arcanretia Company was set up by the first female entrepreneur, Lady Aqua Wasser, Countess of Axel. Her company produces nine hundred tonnes of coal a week and is sold to factories and transport companies at a cheap cost. All of which are built on the backs of the poor. Children to be precise. This is the reason why the gentleman, a representative of the Arcanretia Company is here in the village of Rosemary today.
This small village on the outskirts of Milteu has seen the worse of industrialization. The River Tsukiyo once flowed down the village with a clean hue of blue. Now it runs through, polluted by the factories that produce the thriving textile and cosmetics industry. The village once prosperous was now a slum, with garbage all over the streets and the poor and downtrodden villagers left out to starve. In between the alleys, was a woman of 26. She was tall and voluptuous for her age with thickly scarlet hair, not that they would be able to point that out since it was pretty matted, wild, and dirty. Her clothes were nothing but mere rags that barely covered her, she didn't even have shoes on her feet. She was digging through the garbage, eating some of the food thrown away in an attempt to stave off starvation.
"The faster we get on with this, the faster we can leave this God-forsaken place" another gentleman, this time a lot more skinner mentioned to his colleague. They approached the filthy woman, who looked at them with scorn and hatred.
"What do you want," she asks the gentlemen rudely.
"Greetings madam. My name is Buli Craft Torran. I am a representative of The Arcanretia Coal Company, and this is my associate Guli Theodore-Lloyd".
"How do you do," Guli replies, doffing his bowler hat.
"If you gentlemen are looking for some fun, you're looking at the wrong lady" she responds, scrounging the garbage again. "I was once a great lady of the court of Lord Rung. But I had a child and was thrown away as a whore and a hag". This of course was true and was a good opportunity for the gentlemen to strike.
"I didn't know you have a child. Where are they?"
"My daughter is picking through the rice patties to find some mice for us to eat. Wish that girl would work somewhere else and make money".
"Perhaps," Buli started "we can arrange something like that. What is your name?"
"Irene, Irene Belserion".
"And your daughter?"
"Erza".
"I'll cut to the chase Ms. Irene. We are looking for laborers to work in our coal mines. We were hoping to find children since they are small and can fit in all sorts of places. We are willing to pay you 300 Crowns for the child, where she will work for our company for a good sum of 10 Crowns a month, sent to you of course, and we will be providing your child with lodging, clothing, and meals for no additional cost. I'd say rather generous of us". Irene seemed intrigued by the offer. Not only will she have some money for food, but her daughter would be put to work for a few Crowns, without having to think about feeding her.
"The money first" she states with her filthy hands outreached, "then I'll show you the girl". The gentlemen would rather have not, but they suppose they couldn't get another laborer any other way. Guli reaches for his pockets and brings out a pouch that may or may not have contained 300 Crowns, but Irene didn't seem to care too much. She just wanted some money. She got off her place and allowed the gentlemen to follow her. Through the filthy streets of a dilapidated village that has not seen the fruits of progress, the gentlemen disgusted squeeze their noses with their fingers. Irene brings them to the outskirts of the slum, the rice fields of a wealthy aristocrat where the young children sneak onto this unsecured land to find some mice roaming around to eat. In that field was her daughter Erza, who, like her mother, had filthy red hair and wore filthy rags. She has in her hands five small mice that she had just caught from the fields when she saw her mother.
"Mama!" Erza shouted, running up to her mother with mice in hand. "Look what I caught mama!"
"How very sweet of you dear," Irene says, trying to put up with her only daughter. It seemed very apparent that she doesn't really love her daughter. After all, it makes sense since she was the reason that she lost her status and essentially everything in her life.
"Will this be enough for dinner?"
"I'm sure it is". Irene put her hands on her daughter's shoulders with a very soft but seemingly ominous smile. "Erza, these gentlemen want to take you to the coal mines to earn some money for us".
"The coal mines?" she asked curiously.
"Indeed" replied Mr. Torran. "It's the black stuff that is most valuable and we require young children to mine and transport the coal through the mines, quite like yourself". Erza had no idea what to think. But Mr. Theodore-Lloyd began to inspect the girl, looking for any deformities, illness, and her overall body.
"She seems like a good girl, strong enough to carry one of the coal carts, or perhaps good with a pick-axe".
"Very good. Now then, come along Erza. We must be getting the coal mines".
"But I want to stay here with Mama!" Erza replied innocently. The gentlemen were going to say something, but Irene seemed to have stepped in to speak with her.
"Now listen Erza. As much as I would love for you to be near me" she said secretly reluctantly. "It's about time that you make some money. These gentlemen will be paying you 10 Crowns a month to work in the mines. If you work for them, we can have something better to eat than mice every day".
"Really?"
"Yes. And besides, young girls like you should be working and making money. There is nothing here for you, for us. I can't afford to feed you good food. We can't afford a home, we live in the stables. I think you should start making money, to make our lives a little easier". Erza looked down at her dirty bare feet. As much as she wanted to stay with her mother, her words made Erza think about the times that she and her mother would go into the neighboring towns to beg for food, seeing all the more well-to-do children with all sorts of sweets and all she has to eat was a rotten apple core, all of them clean and well-dressed. Her mother seemed to be right. They need money.
"Okay, mama".
"Excellent! Now come along Erza, we must get going". Erza began following the gentlemen to their wagon, but they were interrupted by two other children who were like Erza, tattered, filthy, and barefoot. These two children, a boy and a girl were tanned-skinned, had dark hair, and were skinny from malnourishment. The boy was taller than the girl, and it can be assumed that they are siblings.
"Wait, where are you taking her?" the boy said. The gentlemen began to turn around to the other two children.
"Oh?"
"Why are you taking big sis" the girl added. The gentlemen began looking at these two children who are stopping them from taking the redhead.
"Oh, are these two also yours?"
"No, they are just orphans that also live in the village. They have taken up fondly to Erza and the girl made her sister".
"I see" replies Mr. Theodore-Lloyd as he examines the boy, "and what pray-tell is your name?"
"Simon, sir"
"My name is Kagura," the girl adds innocently. "I'm her sister". The gentlemen examine the children's bodies the same as Erza.
"The boy seems strong enough to use a pick-axe, but the girl might be a problem. She seems weaker than any other child I have ever seen, probably to malnourishment" Guli says.
"I'm sure we can use her for something, probably just a door-keeper or something" replies Buli, who turns his attention to Simon.
"Now boy, please do kindly show me to the orphanage where you both live".
"There is no orphanage here sir, we live on the streets". The gentlemen become most annoyed at his response.
"Well, this is a problem. We can't just take these children without having to pay a guardian of some sort. Children can't be trusted with money, and we can not NOT pay the kids". It was at this moment Irene once again held out her filthy hands.
"Give me 300 more Crowns and the pay, and I'll say that I'm their guardian". The gentlemen thought this through. Normally they would just give 300 Crowns to the family and "pay" the family 10 Crowns each month for each child sent to their mines. They didn't want to pay any extra money, but they just wanted the children right away, so there isn't too much of a choice.
"Very well," Buli says reluctantly as he reaches for his pockets and pays an extra 300 Crowns or roughly that much.
"Now then, run along to the wagon children, we must get going to the mines in Arcanretia post-haste".
"No way" Simon protested, "we don't want to go". The gentlemen, again annoyed, hold the arms of the child tightly with anger.
"Listen to me, boy. I had enough of these formalities. You now work for us and you will listen to us. Otherwise, we will apply severe punishment to you and your little friends!" Buli continues to clench Simon's arms, twisting them now as Simon tries to hide the pain. Kagura and Erza with concern and a little bit of fear.
"Simon, please! We should do what they say, or they'll hurt us" Erza said worryingly, but Simon tries to hold out, but the pain was too much for a young boy. Buli eventually let go, and Simon was exhausted, holding his sore arm. He can not fight it any longer and concedes to his fate. The gentlemen snort in triumph.
"Wise choice boy, now get in the wagon!" Buli shouts pointing at the wagon, and the children are led inside one by one.
"When can I come home, mama?" She shouts to her mother, but her calls are unanswered as Irene walks away counting the money in the bag. It might as well be the last time that she would see her.
"GET IN NOW!" shouts the gentleman as he pushes Erza inside the wagon, she falls onto the floor, Kagura embracing her brother in fright. The skinny gentleman closes the door, locking it so that children don't get any ideas to escape. It might seem that there wouldn't be any ideas, as these children were scared into submission. Through fear, or unloved. Erza withdraws herself from the other children, as Kagura sobs softly on Simon's shoulders as he tries to comfort her. They hear the horses trotting along as they begin to leave their village, their home. They don't know when they can return, but it is certain, they too don't know what awaits them in the mines.
-End of Chapter 1-
Chapter Text
Chapter 2 - The Arcanretia Mines
The journey from Rosemary Village to Arcenretia was long and uncomfortable for the children. They were placed in a dimly lit wagon that only had one small window at the top of the wagon. There was no place to use the bathroom, and there were other children and some supplies for the mines. It was cramped, cold, and scary to the children. They were able to get to sleep, probably for the first time inside something rather than out on the streets, but it was still rather cold considering that it is late fall. On top of that, they are feeling hungry. They haven’t had anything to eat in hours since they were locked in there with no food or water. They only snacked on what scraps they found in the trash earlier, not enough to satisfy their hunger. For hours they sat there, cold, hungry, sleeping. The wagon stopped, and the door opened slowly, waking up the children with the creaking of the doors.
“Alright, brats. Get up!” Shouts Mr. Theodore-Lloyd. “We have arrived”. The children got up rubbing their eyes, and noticing how angry the gentleman was becoming, they had to be quick and get out of the wagon. They were all lined up in a row, and military guards were pointing muskets at the children. The children were confused and scared. Erza looks over at Simon, with Kagura embracing her older brother in fright. Before Erza can get a word to Simon, Buli Torran stood in front of the children, looking over the new laborers.
“Is this all of the brats?” he asked disappointedly. “I thought we had more than this?”
“This is indeed all the children we picked up, sir”. Buli let out a giant sigh of anger. He wanted more children to work in the mines. He had to let that fact go now and face the children with a sinister smile.
“Now listen up!” He shouts. “You children will now be under our care! We will provide you lot with food and shelter, and all we ask in return is your labor in the mines. You will work down in the pits from dawn to dusk, with only one 30-minute break. You shall work every day and must work to bring us the allotted amount we ask for the daily quota. Otherwise, there will be severe consequences. If you try to escape our grasp, we will punish you severely. If you try to defy orders, we will punish you severely. If you do anything that displeases us, we will punish you severely. Our orders are absolute, don’t forget that”. The children, scared and trembling, were forced to agree. The gentlemen smirked at their dominance.
“Good”. Mr. Torran points over to a small shed, with guards holding a few crates of what appears to be clothing. “The guards have your work clothes, so get in the shed and change. After which you will get on those mine carts and begin to work”. The children didn’t say anything and didn’t do anything, as they were confused and scared, but they would do as they were told lest they want to find out what those men with the muskets would do. They all filed into the shed and after a few minutes were changed into clothes, if anyone would call them that. The boys had on a ragged tank top, full of holes. They were also given green tattered trousers. The girls were given a light blue dress that was also tattered. Neither were given shoes, which may be alarming to some since most of the children had shoes, or some form of footwear albeit on the cusp of being torn and worn out. A lot of children know the dangers of going barefoot in a place like this, but at the same time they didn’t have a choice, and most of the children went barefoot their entire life without any care or worry.
After they changed into their new rags, they were forced onto the mine carts and the pullies began to bring them down into the mine. They are now plunged into eternal darkness only lit by the candles that are scattered throughout the pillars of the coal mine. The cart was cramped, filthy, and cold. The sobs of children made more audible the deeper they go down. Kagura holds on to her brother tightly, Erza wrapping her legs in between her arms. At the end of the tunnel, they see a very large enclosed pit, with miners working on multiple levels. Children are seen constantly pulling or pushing carts from one of the many different entrances to different parts of the mine. They see a few cells, where miners sit or lie down very much dead, but still alive. In one cell, there are miners stripped of their tops and whipped by guards possibly for insubordination. The cart stops in its tracks by the guards, jolting the children from their sorrow. The guards shout for the children to move from the carts and they did what they are told.
“Alright you brats” a guard shouted, who began giving some of them shovels and pick-axes. He pointed to one of the tunnels. “That is where you will work for us. Two hundred and fifty Tonnes of coal is what you will give us, otherwise no dinner tonight”. He began pointing and shouting jobs to the children who were then sent to the tunnel. Erza was given the task of putter pushing and pulling carts through the tunnel that were full of coal. Simon was given the task of a collier, being given a pick-axe to pick through the coal. Kagura, given her weak body wouldn’t be much help, became a trapper, using the large mine doors to keep the airflow going which would stop the build-up of dangerous gasses. They were all sent to the tunnel to begin their work. Guards were stationed all over the place so that the laborers don’t try any funny business.
“Hey!” one guard shouts to the children, particularly Kagura. “That trapper is to work over here. She can not come in any further”.
“But I want to stay with my big brother!” Kagura protests. This turned out to be a mistake as the guard marches up to Kagura looking extremely angry, and begins to kick the girl in the stomach, causing her to yelp in pain as she is kicked down to the ground. Simon runs up to her, trying to cover and comfort her as she lies in pain and in tears.
“Your arrogant, little BRAT!” the guard shouts, as he kicks on the back of Simon, trying to protect his weakened sister. “You are to DO as you are TOLD! You will work and OBEY us and you will be THANKFUL! I do not want to HEAR any more defiance EVER AGAIN!” The guard stops his punishing, with Simon’s back now being all worn out, with some black, purple skin protruding, even with some blood flowing out a little. “Now get to work, ya brat!” the guard finishes, returning to his post.
“Please Kagura, y-you should go over t-there,” Simon says to her sister, a little bit on the ragged side.
“B-But What about y-you,” Kagura said through her sniffling, and a little bit of pain herself.
“I’ll be all right, you’ll be alright. Just stay strong for today, okay?” Kagura nodded her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. She leaves the two to sit down by the large doors to the inner mine.
“We’ll see you later, Kagura” Erza said to comfort her. Kagura just sat down, crouched on the floor.
“Keep moving brats!” one of the other guards shouted, and the two continued on inside. Erza went up to Simon, who was still reeling from the blows given by the guard.
“Are you okay Simon, you seem badly hurt?” Erza worryingly said to her friend.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about it” he replied, holding back the pain. The tunnel they have been going in have been continuing to get smaller, and smaller, and smaller, until they reach the end of the mine where they see a lot of people, including children, picking at the earth for that black diamond. The guards shouted commands as the miners did nothing but obey. Simon was put into one of these stations, joining them in mining through the earth and soot. Erza was put to work pulling heavy carts, filled with tonnes of coal extracted from the earth. Not only were these carts heavy, but there was a small incline that made things worse. Erza was not as strong as the other workers who have been there for several years, but she is able to get the carts to the other side, albeit slowly, which got the ire of the guards who demanded her to go faster.
They toiled in the mines for hours. Their clothes and their bodies have become dirty, black with soot and coal dust. They haven’t had anything else to eat since the afternoon, when they had a meager lunch that was scavenged from the garbage back at Rosemary. They weren’t given a break since they arrived after the only lunch break they had. Weakened by hunger, Erza work becomes slower and slower, despite the shouting and the threats from the guards. Erza was on the verge of passing out, aware of the consequences if she stopped. She arrives at the incline and begins the ascent. She carries it as far as she can before her body begins to ache more and more until she can’t stand any longer. She closes her eyes as if she was about to pass out while continuing to pull the cart. But all of a sudden, the cart felt lighter? It can’t be? She opens her eyes and to her suprise she sees a boy helping her out. She couldn’t say anything, but she did take a good look at him. He too was a child like her, Perhaps maybe skinnier than her. He’s got bright blue hair, even with all the coal dust over it that shines as a bright light. He’s also got a weird red mark around his right eye. She wanted to say something, but the boy’s smile put her in a state of awe. It seems that it was in no time that they arrived at the top of the incline. The boy just simply put his finger on his lips, telling her not to say a single word, and she seems to nod in agreement. He goes back down running to the bottom of the incline, out of sight of the guards, perhaps to do his own work. He would continue to help Erza out every time he had the chance with her.
“Be careful now,” called out a new voice, a very old voice to be precise. Erza turned around and saw an old man, very lean with pale skin. He seems to have been here for years given how emaciated he was and how long his white hair was. “The guards will punish you if you don’t do your own work”.
“But she needed a little bit of help. It would be sad if they were to hurt her on the first day”. The boy’s words continued to put awe in Erza. He is probably the only nicest person he has met in these mines. Her thoughts were cut off, when she heard the knell of the bell. The guards pointed to the exit, where everyone is marched out. That doesn’t mean the work is done, they are actually so generous to let a few people rest at night, and the people who tried any funny business are made to work the night shift with no food, no break. They get back to the area where Kagura was forced to separate for the shift.
“Big brother!” Kagura shouts, standing up from her cramped corner, running to his brother, and hugging him, crying on his tattered shirt.
“I was so lonely” she mustered through her sobs. “It’s scary down here”. Simon tries to comfort her, but their little reunion was cut off as the guards keep shouting at the children to start moving. At least now, they would be able to get back up on to the surface for some fresh air, or at least that is what they thought they would do.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going” one of the guards shout as they try to move through the central pit.
“I thought we were done with work?” Erza replied innocently. The guards pointed to one of the cells within the pit. A place where a lot of the workers have gathered, most of which were children like them. Some are just sitting on the floor, others leaning on the wall. There was no blanket or cot, with several workers exhausted from their labor were sleeping on the floor. There was a bucket too, but surrounded by urine stains and put away in a corner of the cell, one could put two and two together.
“That is where you will be living in from now on”. The children were shocked at their living quarters. Will they not beagle to see the sun? The sky? No questions were answered though, as the guards immediately shove the children into the cell. They are then thrown a bucket of potatoes, some of which were a little rotten, for their dinner. The guards quickly lock the cell so that the workers can’t escape if they wanted to. After which, the children began to crowd around the bucket, fighting each other to get more food than the other. Simon got into the crowd and was able to procure a little bit of the remaining good potatoes for their dinner. The three share their meager meal until there was nothing left. It was probably the first filling meal they had, and with what little they had, that says a lot.
“Big brother,” Kagura meekly said to Simon. “I’m still hungry”. Simon looked back to the bucket, nothing left with a few of the younger children trying to pick through the little scraps that were left.
“There is nothing left, Kagura. I’m sorry” Kagura can only muster a few tears from her hunger, Erza trying to comfort her. She can only do so much, she was exhausted from the work.
“Here, you can have my portion if you want”. A new voice caught their attention. It was another boy giving his share of potatoes to Kagura. It wasn’t just any boy, Erza recognized him as the boy with bright blue hair who has been helping her out during her first hours down here. Kagura looked over at the boy, and his hands full of the uneaten potatoes, and without hesitation began gobbling up the remaining potatoes one by one.
“Go ahead and say thank you, Kagura”. Kagura tried to say thank you with her mouth full. Simon sighed, while Erza chuckled a little bit.
“You have some too” the boy said to Erza, who just simply shook her head.
“I’ll be fine, thank you”. Erza couldn’t help but blush a little for this seemingly courageous boy. The boy smiled too.
“You and me both”.
“Jellal, dear boy. You should eat some. You haven’t eaten anything since this morning”. There was another voice, the same old voice from before. Erza looked, and she was right. It was the old man that was with him.
“Jellal?” she asked, hearing the name from the old man.
“Yeah, my full name is Jellal Fernandes”.
“Sounds like a mouthful,” Simon remarked. Jellal smiled, before looking back at the old man.
“I’ll be fine Grandpa! They most likely need more than I. It is their first time here after all”.
“Is he your grandpa?” Erza asks.
“Not really, we call him Grandpa because he takes care of us down here. A lot of us sometimes call him Grandpa Rob”. Grandpa Rob waves to her with a warm smile, something that Erza hasn’t seen since out of her own mother.
“How about you guys? What are your names?” Kagura swallows a good portion of the potatoes they were given.
“My name is Kagura!” she exclaimed with a small smile. She points to her brother. “That is my big brother, Simon”.
“Do you have a last name?”
“What’s it to ya” Simon spat, mostly from exhaustion.
“Don’t be rude Simon” Erza replies shocked. “It’s Mikazuchi. He’s not like this”
“I understand, we work for hours on end, with nothing to eat during that time… how about you” he finishes changing the subject.
“Me?” Erza replied meekly, she looked down on her feet. Her mother never told her her last name. It was mostly because it never came up, but it could also be that Erza did not deserve her last name. “I’m just plain old Erza, it’s the only name I got”.
“Really? Well, everyone has to have a last name. It would be sad not to”. They sat in silence, the mine being eerily quiet, well as quiet as workers being punished can be. Jellal stretched his arms and legs standing up from the floor.
“We should probably sleep now. Everyone has to get up early to start work”.
“How early?”
“Dunno, they usually wake us up. But it would be better if we get a little rest, lest we get injured as a result of our weariness”. They understand what he means. There have been numerous people being crushed to death by minecarts rolling down from the incline, others falling to their deaths into the pits. It is a dangerous place where tired eyes can lead to instant death.
“Where do we even sleep?”
“Anywhere really. Most of us sleep along the wall, it provides a little bit of warmth. We don’t have any blankets or anything to keep us warm. Some of us huddle together. But a lot more just sleep on the floor. Or maybe they’re dead?” That last bit scared the three newcomers, but Jellal said it like it was just a regular day. Seems like it was a fact of life for all of them, and it phases no one anymore. Jellal backs up to the wall, proceeding to lie down against the wall.
“Guess I’ll see you in the morning,” Jellal says as he huddles himself for comfort. “Good night”. He slowly falls asleep where he is. It was time for the rest of them to sleep. Simon and Kagura huddled together as they feel the cold hard floor below them. It was made worse that the fall whether somehow made it colder. With no one to huddle with, Erza had to huddle herself by the wall. The wall indeed was a little warm, but not warm enough to wave off the cold air. She fell asleep, but not before shedding a tear. She was lonely, scared, and weak. She wanted to see her mother again. She wanted to see the world above her again. But she didn’t know if she could. That is how she spent her first night down in the Arcanretia Coal Mines.
-End of Chapter 2-
Chapter Text
Chapter 3 - Jellal
They don’t know what time it is, but what they do know is that it was time for them to get up. The bells toll, the start of another work day. Erza was able to get to sleep, but barely. From all the mining and yelling, she fell asleep to a simple dream. It was her and her mother living in a cozy cabin in the forest near Rosemary, with a roaring fire in the fireplace, with her and her mother wearing warm clothes, and sitting at a table full of actual food. She ate her fill, and was hugged by her loving mother. But alas, that was only that, just a dream. She woke up to the sounds of the mines, fear and sadness. The cells open up with the guards throw three buckets of a very watery porridge. People gathered like they did last night to grab scoops of porridge. It wasn’t burning their hands or anything, the guards only served cold porridge.
“Good morning Erza” Jellal greets her with a handful of porridge. “I’m glad you’re up. I got some food for you. Go on and eat”. Erza looks up at him, then looks at the porridge, and then finally accepts, grabbing a handful of porridge from his hands It’s watery and bland, but at least it's food. She sees Simon doing the same for Kagura. When Erza finished eating her share of the porridge, she was feeling parched since she hadn’t had anything to drink since yesterday.
“Young Erza” Grandpa Rob says to her. “You seem to be thirsty. There’s some water if you want to drink”. He points to another part of the cell where pipes run through, and from the leaking pipes, two buckets are filled with water, albeit extremely filthy water. Most workers don’t even wash their face since after all it is redundant. Erza walks to the water and begins taking handfuls into her mouth, taking in the brackish water, trying not to gag on it. At least it was something to drink, filthy as it is. Simon and Kagura do the same.
“Alright ya brats!” one of the guards shouts as he opens the gate, other guards following behind him as they drop pick-axes and shovels. “Time to get ta work!” The workers are forced to pick up the tools and march towards the inner mines. The work day began as any other. Kagura tries in vain to stay with Simon, but only for the guards to kick her down, Simon protecting her, and ultimately getting kicked himself. Erza is placed in front of heavy carts and pulls them up and down the incline. Simon, with his back still in pain, works through it swinging the pickaxe to gather bits of coal. Overall, an uneventful morning. By noon, or at least what they thought was noon, the bell tolls once again which signals their break. They have been working for only a few hours, and yet they are already exhausted. They sat down in their previous positions cramped in the dark and cold mines. The guards did not hand out anything for lunch, as they were the ones to only have lunch The workers just sat hungry, Erza included. Those who were smart enough to save some bits of food were able to munch on that for lunch, but most of the children did not have the luxury to do so. There was one other trick that could mean having a not-so-empty stomach and starving to death. But the cost is risky, as they could die any moment from doing this.
“Erza!” Jellal shouts to her as she sits down. He came up to her with a few other boys almost like Jellal and her. “We’re about to get some food to eat for our break”.
“Are they giving out food?” Erza asks, hopeful that she would have something to eat before she has to get back to work.
“They do not, unfortunately, but I know a way that we can eat! Follow us” Erza was hesitant at first, but what else can she do but sit and starve? She follows the boys through the pits, they make it to one end of the mines where there was a large window that looked like a break room, in front are barrels and crates of tools they sit behind them looking inside, and inside was a magnificent feast which to them were fit for the gods. But what interested them was fresh bread that was closer to the door and window to this area that is usually reserved for the guards.
“They have much more food than any of us, but if we ask for more food, they beat us” Jellal states, catching Erza up on their little scheme of every afternoon. “If we steal more than we can carry, they beat us. So what we do is take the loaves of bread as quickly as we can while they aren’t looking, and then we share the bread with others when we can”. The boys sneak carefully into the break room without making a noise, Erza following them scared and shaking.
“Isn’t this dangerous?” She asked as they sneak in. “The guards are in there, won’t they catch us?”
“Relax Erza, they don’t notice much if we sneak in through the open window”. Jellal pointed to the window, which was recently opened as a cruel joke on the workers as they starve out in the mines while the guards feasted with vigor on their lunch. Each of the boys took two loaves of bread that was sitting by the window, and fortunately, the guards did not notice them. Now was their chance to run before they did.
“Come on Erza” Jellal shouts as they begin to run just as Erza hears the guards in the room making a commotion before she bolts it. A guard walks out and sees the children that were running, and so put two and two together.
“GET BACK HERE, YA BRATS!!” He shouted while beginning to chase them down. The children ran as fast as they could to avoid capture. Through the pits they passed through several cells, but the guard was getting closer. Jellal looked around as he ran, hoping to seek a way out of their situation. As if it was a miracle, there was a little cavern that looked like a dark alley between some of the cells. They were far from the guard at that moment, so far that he couldn’t see them. This was now their chance.
“Quickly! In here”. One by one they managed to get inside a little corner as the guards pass them without a beat. The boys begin to devour one of their loaves of bread, Jellal throwing half of his to Erza, eating her share. Jellal, stuffs some of the loaves into a small bag to save for later, or for the other children in the mines. Erza felt satisfied, as so were the others, but they weren’t out of the woods yet.
“Won’t they come back around? They’ll punish us for sure”.
“Don’t worry about it” Jellal says, trying to comfort Erza’s worries. “Usually one of us will be the bait for them to catch, while the rest of us runs back to the cell to stow away the goods until later”. The boys look at each other before Jellal brings out some straws for them to pick and see which one of them would take the bait. Each one takes a straw and then.
“Well Omar, looks like you will have to go out there”.
“But Jellal. I was out there last week. I don’t know how much more I can take”. Omar absolutely terrified of getting beat up by the guards again tried to step back, just then they heard footsteps coming their way.
“There’s no time. I’m sorry Omar”. Omar sighs with no other choice. As the guards get closer, Omar begins running in their direction, bumping into the guards.
“You BRAT!” The guards shout, Omar backing off in fear. “You played us as fools yet again!”
“This will teach you then!” With Omar bracing for the worst, the guards take their whips and begin mercilessly beating the boy as the others escape. The ran from the scene until they reached their cell. Erza caught her breath, the adrenaline of having stolen bread and trying to get away from the guards getting to her. She didn’t want to admit it, but it was a little exciting, she wonders why she hadn’t done it before when her and her mother were starving for days on end.
“You got to learn fast Erza,” Jellal says to her as he puts the bread behind a hole in the wall, with other valuables and goods hidden away. “We have to get as much as we can to survive. Sure they feed us, but you saw it for yourself. It’s never enough”. Jellal was being serious for a moment now. Erza looked down at her feet, cut from the running she had to do from the guards. The bells toll again, and as if it were magic, Jellal went back to his cheery self.
“Let’s get going Erza” he said happily leaving the cell. “We don’t want the guards to see us slacking off”. Erza nodded in agreeance and followed Jellal back down to their part of the mine and went back to their grueling work.
“Hey! Redhead!” One of the guards shouts to Erza hours into the day. She shivers at the sound, and immediately starts panicking on the inside. Was she caught stealing earlier and was getting punished now? She dared not say another word. “Get over to the other cart and push it up. It’s got too much, even for a kid like him”. He points to Jellal trying to push a heavy coal cart up the incline. Without a fight, Erza obeyed the guard and helped Jellal with the load. She felt a lot better now that she was with him. It’s like with all the bad people around her, she feels a comforting soul within Jellal, like an older brother, or friend she never had.
“Hey Erza,” Jellal asks as they push the cart. “If you don’t mind me asking, but where did you come from?” Erza tries to recall what her mother told her, since she has very little knowledge of her village herself.
“I came from a village far from here, just my mama and me. We didn’t have a lot of money, we lived on the streets, and most of the time we went to another town to beg for money and food”.
“Hey, kind of like me”.
“You were from a village too?”
“No, my mother, my sister and I lived by the sea in a port town far from here. We used to live on the beach, living off of the sea. But ever since the police kicked us off the land, we had to live on the streets too. My sister and I begged for food, and we often had to resort to stealing it”.
“So that’s how you’re so good at it”.
“I had to learn to do it, or else my sister and I would starve”. Jellal was again serious for a minute. But perked up yet again. “But our mother tried to provide for us everyday if she could. We might have no money, but we were happy”.
“I wish I had a mama like that,” Erza said sadly. “My mama would sometimes have me look through a rich man’s rice field or search through the trash pits if I wanted something to eat. You were lucky to have a mama who cared for you”.
“She’s not even my real mother”
“Really?” Erza asked in shock.
“Yeah, she and my sister found me on the beach just washed up if I recall correctly. I don’t know where I came from before, but mother still accepted me as one of her own. What about your mother?” Erza looked down at her feet sadly.
“I… h-had a feeling mama didn’t want me” She shared shamfully. “When two men wanted to put me to work, mama didn’t hesitate to take their money. It’s for the best I think. We need money mama said, and she said I should be working at my age. She didn’t even say goodbye”.
“That’s sad. Mother seemed reluctant to do the same thing. Those men found my sister and I taking shelter under our tent on the streets. Mother was convinced of the money, but she was sad to see us go. I bet mother misses us”. They continued their work and as if they seemed like they finished their conversation hours ago, it seemed like it was minutes ago, until the bell tolls once more, the only signifier of the end of the day. The two of them head back up to their cell. They meet up with Kaguara and Simon, Grandpa Rob sitting right behind them, and another kid she met earlier with Jellal. A boy with pointy facial features, dressed as the same as everyone else.
“By the way Erza, you met him earlier but this is my other friend, Wally Buchannan”. Wally waves.
“Amazing” Wally adds, “Can’t believe you remembered my full name”.
“It’s kind of easy to remember”
“Easier than Jellal Ferbandes”. Jellal chuckled at his mispronunciation, Wally looks over to Erza. “So, Jellal called you Erza what?”
“Well…” she was going to tell Wally what she told Jellal yesterday, but before she could there was something, or someone, touching her hair. She turned around and saw Jellal playing with her hair.
“Hey! W-What are you doing?” she asked pulling away slightly.
“Sorry, but your hair is pretty is all” Jellal replies with a smile.
“Y-you think so?”
“I know so, your hair reminds me of my mother’s eyes”. Erza blushes from Jellal doing that weird particular thing. But it gives him an idea to give her something that she doesn’t have. “Hey! How about scarlet being your last name?”
“Scarlet?”
“It’s the color of your hair! That way, I won’t forget!” Jellal finishes with his signature smile.
“Seriously? You can’t just go around and give people last names” Wally exclaimed.
“It’s not your choice to make, it’s hers” Simon exclaims annoyed. But Erza still in awe was touched by the new name.
“So, now I’ll be… Erza Scarlet” she proudly states, much to Simon’s dismay, and the excitement of others.
“You actually like that Erza?”
“It… feels nice Simon. Makes me feel like, special” she replied softly.
“I think it’s pretty!” Kagura adds, Simon shushes her, and Jellal and Wally laughs.
“Now I’ll know I’ll never forget your name” Jellal exclaims happily. “All I have to do is think of your pretty hair”. They all had a minute to laugh about it, Erza blushing, Wally making fun of the love birds, Simon just sulking. But they were interrupted by the guards, shouting at them to shut up before throwing a bucket of uncooked, and a little rotten potatoes. They went to get their share, but before they could they got a glimpse of a boy in a wheelbarrow, lifeless, blood ridden and bruised, with a piece of cloth over his head.
“Is that..’ Erza was about to ask, but Grandpa Rob interrupts solemnly.
“Young Omar”. The children looked back to Rob, with shock and sadness in their eyes. “The guards took him to the punishment room for stealing bread earlier”. Jellal and Wally looked down in guilt, as they too (along with Erza) stole some bread, but had Omar go out as the lone wolf to distract the guards. “They beat him up so much that he died from his injuries”. The rest of the night was spent in silence. They ate their meager meal, and went straight to bed, Erza trying to sleep beside the cold wall like she did last night.
“Erza, why don’t we sleep together? It’d be warmer if we sleep side by side” Jellal asks.
“Is it okay for me to do so” Erza blushes.
“It’ll be fine, don’t worry”. Erza moves next to Jellal as they try to huddle up together for warmth, the other workers have fallen asleep now, except for those two.
“Jellal, aren’t you sad that your friend is dead?” Erza asks as she looks up to the ceiling.
“I…” Jellal stops for a second, reflecting on his friend’s passing. “I am a little sad. But, I know that it would happen eventually. Many of my friends have died from starvation, work, being buried alive, so it wasn’t too shocking”. Jellal looked to his side for a bit, Erza shocked of what he is listing off as it were casual, but supposedly he has been down here for a year. It was something he got used to. “But, I am glad we were friends, even if it was for a short time”. The two of them went silent again, before Erza could ask another question.
“What about your sister? Where is she?”
“She works on the lower levels of the mine, also as a hurrier. We often would see each other on the rare occasions that we had breaks at the same time. I give her some of the bread we have saved”.
“Do… Do you think we will ever get out of here?”
“We can try and figure out how to get out of here. I’m certainly not staying here forever” Jellal states proudly to her. “We’ll have a chance at freedom yet”. They were silent again.
“So, how do you like the last name Erza?”
“Scarlet? I-I think it’s nice”.
“Your hair, it reminds me of my mother’s hair. It was a lot lighter than yours, but it looks the same”. It was about time they would slip into sleep, but just one more conversation for the two.
“You know Erza, today is my birthday”.
“Birthday?”
“It’s the day you were born. Didn’t your mother celebrate your birthday?”
“Mama and me never really celebrated anything together. I don’t even know how old I am”.
“You look about the same age as I am, more or less”
“How old are you?”
“I’m 11 now”. They decided that that would be enough talk tonight, and tried to get some sleep.
“I’ll see you in the morning erza”.
“Okay, good night. And h-happy birthday”. Jellal smiled back at her before they shut their eyes.
“Thank you”.
-End of Chapter 3-
Ian (Guest) on Chapter 1 Wed 16 Aug 2023 07:24AM UTC
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Ian (Guest) on Chapter 1 Wed 16 Aug 2023 07:25AM UTC
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