Back to the Beginning

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably before opening her eyes. She winced at the stiffness in her neck and slowly sat up from the slouched position in her chair. Looking at the light in the room, she suspected it to be mid-morning. The last thing she remembered was the sunlight beginning to peek through the window… she assumed that she must have dozed off.

She stretched and stifled a yawn before turning to check on her father—and jumped in surprise to see Meliodas perched on the edge of the bed. "Hey there, Elizabeth," he said cheerily.

"Sir Meliodas!" She sat up quickly, swiping a hand over her face and then back to smooth her hair. "What are you doing here? Is everything all right?" Elizabeth moved to stand next to the bed where her father lay, and placed a hand on his forehead.

"I just thought I'd come to check on things." He frowned. "It's been three days. Have you had a decent sleep, other than napping in that chair?"

Elizabeth spared a glance back at the wooden chair she had been using at the king's bedside. "It's all right. I'm really not that—" she paused to yawn "—tired, really."

Meliodas nodded. "I can see. Any change at least?" He sidled up next to the princess, who was readjusting the blanket around the king.

"No," she said sadly. "I tried my healing on him, but he's not hurt. Just exhausted and malnourished, the doctor said." Elizabeth sighed. "What good is a healing power when you can't heal your own father?"

"Don't worry so much. It'll just take some time." His hand snaked around her back, and Elizabeth stiffened, expecting it to move southward. Instead, he gripped her by the hip, pulling her up against him. "Speaking of which, why don't we go find some breakfast? I also heard you hadn't been taking any regular meals."

Elizabeth shook her head, stepping to the side and out of his hands. "Thank you, Sir Meliodas, but I don't want to leave him. What if he wakes up, and I'm not here?"

Meliodas grinned. "Don't worry, I have that covered. I brought someone to watch him for you."

"I don't know…" she said, unsure, as he went to the door and opened it. Meliodas gestured to someone, but then Elizabeth gave another start as Margaret walked inside. The two sisters regarded each other for a moment before Margaret started forward. "Ellie, I—I'm so—" she stammered as she walked towards her, reaching her arms out.

Elizabeth stiffened, her hands clenching at her sides and her mouth creasing into a thin line. She sidestepped the girl and hurried towards the door. She heard Meliodas tell her they would be back shortly as she slipped into the hallway. Elizabeth paused to wait for him, and when he appeared she took off at a brisk walk. Together they went towards the dining rooms, and the princess only gave a weak nod to the greetings called to her by the people they passed.

Meliodas stopped her as she went to enter. "You should think about forgiving her," he told her.

Elizabeth folded her arms. "She sent Holy Knights after you, and tried to have us both arrested! You could have been hurt fighting them off, or worse!" Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but whether they were from anger or exhaustion, Meliodas could not tell.

He shrugged. "It was no big deal. Just think about it, okay?"

She did not answer, so Meliodas opened the door for her. Elizabeth was both delighted and alarmed to see the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins already there, eating. Diane immediately jumped up and rushed over, grasping Elizabeth by the arms and pulling her to the table. "Elizabeth! I'm so happy you are finally out of that room! Here, I saved you a seat."

Hawk bounced up and down on the small bench that had been placed at the table for him. "Elizabeth! Elizabeth is here!" he cried.

Elizabeth found herself pressed into an overstuffed chair as Diane began to heap cakes and fruit onto a plate. "You look like a ghost, Elizabeth! Eat something!"

"Lady Diane—I, I'm fine—" She was cut off by Merlin, who placed a cup in front of her. "Here, princess, have a sip of this," she said with her usual smile.

Elizabeth nodded, reaching for the cup. She didn't really want anything at the moment, but she didn't dare refuse Merlin. She took a little sip and found the drink to be rich and delicious. Elizabeth gave a shiver as it warmed her completely, and she wondered briefly what was actually in it.

She was next distracted by the other side of the table, where Meliodas was scolding Ban and King. "I told you guys to wait for Elizabeth!" He snatched large sweet roll from King's hand and threw it at Ban.

"We were hungryyyyy," Ban sang. He turned to Elizabeth, who froze in his gaze. "Hey, hope your dad's okay. I'm glad I killed the wrong king after all."

"Ban!" both Diane and King screeched at him as Elizabeth's eyes went wide. King leaned over the table and patted Elizabeth's hand. "What he means—" he paused to give Ban a deathly glare "—is that we're glad you're both all right."

"Thank you, Sir King," Elizabeth replied meekly.

"All right, all right, everyone, let's eat!" Meliodas took the seat directly across from Elizabeth. He gave her a huge grin before beginning to scoop food onto his own plate.

Elizabeth looked around at her companions, feeling overwhelmed by the energy and the noise. Diane and King talked excitedly as they both ate, with Merlin interjecting with laughter every so often. Ban and Hawk argued over the last crepe, knocking over their cups onto Meliodas in the process. Every once in a while, someone would shout "Eat something!" at the princess, so she busied herself in spreading honey on a piece of toast. As she nibbled on the sweet bread, she was reminded of the last time they had all eaten breakfast together, on her last morning at the Boar Hat. It was just as rowdy and rambunctious, and it felt like it had been a lifetime ago. Her heart seized a bit and she willed herself not to cry. She had forgotten how wonderful it was to be with all of them. It had been a long time since she had sat in such a happy meal.

She looked to her left and saw Gowther sitting in silence, watching the noisy group. "They are all rather loud, aren't they?" he observed.

Elizabeth stifled a laugh and nodded. "Loud is one way to describe it." She smiled and took another sip of Merlin's delicious drink.

"Loud isn't the exact right word. I should have said raucous." There was a slight pause before he continued, "I've noticed you seem sad, princess." She turned to him and saw that he was watching her curiously. "Sad might not be the exact right word either. But isn't the king alive? The imposter has fled? You should not feel sad."

The princess nodded. "You are right, Sir Gowther. And I am glad that everything worked out. It's just a bit more complicated than that."

Gowther nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer, and turned his attention back to the Sins. "Captain," he said, "how long will the breakfast continue?"

"Until all the scraps are gone, I hope," Hawk squealed.

Meliodas swallowed a huge chunk of bread and shrugged. "I guess we should make some kind of plan. We can't sit around here forever, especially with that imposter king out there somewhere. Ban may have taken care of one of the doubles, but the other one escaped."

"Won't it be easy to find King Baltra?" Diane asked. "It's not as if no one knows who he is."

Meliodas shook his head. "I have a feeling whoever or whatever this is has dropped that disguise and already has another."

"How exactly are we supposed to find something that can look like something else?" King asked. "We don't even know what we're looking for."

Ban nodded in mock agreement. "It could be any of us. It could be you, King!" He pointed a sausage at him. "Is it you? I know it's you!"

"It's not me!" King fumed, and Meliodas held up a hand. "Enough already. We do need some answers, though."

"There was something that Princess Margaret had said," Merlin mused. "About when I took the king to heal in Camelot. I'd like to start there and see what I could find."

"Should we all go?" Diane asked. "Can we leave the city like this, with that thing out there?"

Meliodas frowned. "I think we might need some help. We were lucky this time, and now we have a lot of ground to cover. And King is right, this will be more difficult not knowing what we are looking for." He thought for a moment before continuing, "Merlin should go to Camelot while the rest of us look. It seems like we'll be splitting up again. Just when we all got back together."

"What about the royal family?" King asked. "Should someone stay here?"

"They have the Holy Knights for protection," Meliodas said. "And I think Elizabeth should come with us." He turned towards the princess. "What do you say, Elizabeth? Will you come back to the Boar Hat?"

They all looked to her for her answer, but unfortunately found they would have to wait. Elizabeth was fast asleep.

.o0o.

Margaret sat sadly, watching her father sleep. She had never seen Elizabeth give her such a cold look before, and it completely chilled her.

As she gazed at her father, she thought about how ironic it was that she had no idea the king had been an imposter. Her father had been locked away, only steps away from all of them, and no one was the wiser. Margaret thought of all the times she had eaten a meal with him, or wished him goodnight. She knew there was something wrong, but it scared her just how wrong she had been.

After all, if anyone should have been able to tell that someone was hiding a secret, it was Margaret. She swiped away a tear and leaned forward to take the king's hand. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I've been so angry with you for not knowing about my own enchantment all those years—and now, it turns out, I was more blind than anyone."

The door opened, and Margaret knew immediately who it was without turning around. He had not come to see her in the three days since the false king had vanished; it was the longest he had ever kept away from her. He approached her slowly and Margaret said without looking, "I don't think I can handle another scolding. Elizabeth won't even speak to me, and I don't know how many more times I can apologize. So please, if you are here to tell me I was wrong, you can save yourself the trouble."

"Margaret," Gilthunder said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened at his touch, making him draw his hand away quickly. The tenderness in his voice as he said her name caused her stomach to twist, and fresh tears threatened to spill, blurring her vision. She almost would have rather he did scold her after all, instead of the sweet way he spoke her name.

There was a long, uncomfortable pause. Then Gilthunder said, very business-like, "I was asked to see if you needed anything. Apparently Elizabeth is taking a rest for a bit."

Margaret shook her head. "I'm fine, thank you. I'm glad my sister is finally resting."

Another silence filled the room. Margaret swallowed, willing herself not to turn around and launch herself into Gilthunder's arms. She knew he would hold her and tell her all the things she wanted to hear, but that would not be fair to him, or enough of a punishment for herself.

"It seems as though the Seven Deadly Sins will be leaving the capital soon," he finally went on. Margaret nodded silently. "I'm going to take my leave as well, Your Highness, if I may," he said softly.

Now Margaret did turn around. "Why?" she whispered. Her heart seized in fear that he was leaving her.

"Prince Lucius needs an escort back to Marakia," Gilthunder explained. "With this thing out there, I want to personally make sure he arrives safely."

They stared at each other, and Margaret imagined a great space suddenly between them; a space that widened in each passing moment. She breathed deeply to keep her voice even. "If you feel that's best," she finally answered.

Gilthunder nodded. He turned to go, but then hesitated. His jaw clenched as he worked out what to say, and Margaret closed her eyes sadly. She steeled herself for this, for his final good-bye, but instead felt his hands grip her arms and pulled her to stand. Her eyes flew open for a moment and he kissed her firmly, holding her against him. She did not dare to move or make a sound, only listening to her pulse quicken inside her head. Her eyelids slowly closed as his mouth moved against hers. After a long moment, she reached forward, wanting to touch him, but he pulled abruptly back, breaking the kiss. Then he released his hold on her and backed away, giving her one last glance before sweeping from the room.

.o0o.

Jericho stormed into the South Tower, searching for Howzer. She found him in the armory with a few of the Seven Deadly Sins, testing out swords. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

He looked up from the handle in his hand. "I need to find a new sword. Mine was damaged in the fight, and I can't lift as well with my left hand while my right arm heals." He frowned. "Why do you care?"

"Because you're leaving, " she snapped. She looked at Diane, King, and Merlin, who were standing and staring at her as well. "You're all leaving, and—" She stopped abruptly, feeling very foolish all of a sudden.

"I'm taking him to Camelot with me," Merlin explained. "I want to get a good look at his wound. It might help us find out who did all of this."

"I know that," Jericho mumbled, folding her arms.

Howzer put down the sword he held and lifted another. "So what's the problem, then?"

"It's just—when you leave, there will be no one to train the apprentices." Jericho huffed. "This is going to just delay my training even longer."

Diane and King exchanged a glance. "If that's all you're worried about, why don't you just come with us?" King asked.

Jericho looked at him skeptically. Another trip around Britannia with the Sins? That did not sound like a great idea. "I don't know about that."

"Sure! It'll be great!" Howzer said, and then turned to Merlin. "Can you take all four of us then?"

"Four?" King asked. "I thought only you were going with Merlin."

"Yeah, but Diane is coming with us too. Aren't you, Diane?"

Diane nodded happily as King started to fume. "First Liones, now Camelot! I'm getting to experience life in all the courts. I'm so excited!" She grinned at Jericho. "You should definitely come with us."

"I don't know how much training I could possibly get in while sitting around Camelot," she scoffed.

"Besides, there's no room!" King announced. "I'm coming to Camelot too."

"You are?" Diane said excitedly. Merlin frowned. "When did you decide that?"

"Just now." King folded his arms and floated back on Chastiefol. "We'll find someone to help you out, Jericho. Maybe Gowther or Ban will do it."

This was getting worse and worse. "I'll figure it out myself," she said, spinning on her heel and leaving them to their planning.

.o0o.

Elizabeth walked into the Boar Hat carrying a trunk in one hand and a large bundle in the other. "Sir Meliodas?" she called, kicking the front door shut behind her. The tavern had settled just inside the hole they had made in the city wall. Even though it was well past dinner, she did not want to leave getting her things down to the tavern to the morning, just in case they had to leave in a hurry like the last time.

"Elizabeth? Is that you?" Meliodas appeared from the storage room with a grin. "I didn't expect you to show up! What is all that?" He moved to relieve her of her burdens, and she gratefully handed her things over with a smile.

"Just some clothes and things. I want to be prepared this time." She followed him up the stairs towards the room they had always shared, and Elizabeth paused for a moment at the doorway. It looked just like she had left it all those weeks ago, and her heart leapt in excitement. She felt as though she was finally home.

Meliodas dropped the bundles on the bed, and sat on the window seat as she began to unpack. "Is your sister all right with you leaving, then?" he asked.

Elizabeth glanced over at him. He raised his eyebrows innocently, and she could only shake her head. "I know what you are asking, and no, I haven't spoken to her. But it's not really up to her anyway. Now that my father is awake and will be fine, I am making this decision myself." She carried a handful of handkerchiefs over to one of the dressers and opened a drawer, before frowning. "Where do you keep your handkerchiefs usually?"

"Huh," he replied. "I don't think I have any." He listened with a smile as she sighed and made room in one of her drawers. There was a companionable silence, and he watched her move around the room with ease, filling it again with her things. When she was finally done, he hopped up to carry her trunk to the closet and stuffed it inside.

"There," she said happily. She took a moment to straighten the bedspread the way he liked it, and then gave the room another glance. Her heart gave another flip in excitement as she remembered that she'd be back here again the next day. "I suppose I should be getting back. It's late."

Elizabeth looked over at Meliodas, who was propped up on his elbow against the dresser. "You don't have to, you know. You could stay here if you wanted."

"Stay—stay here?" she squeaked. The princess blushed, her cheeks becoming a rosy hue.

"Sure," he said, walking towards her. "Like you said, it's late, and I'd hate for you to have to get back to the castle by yourself. And it's nice and quiet here, since everyone else is staying in the castle."

Elizabeth clutched her hands, suddenly nervous. She had forgotten that the others—even Hawk—were not staying at the Boar Hat. But then she purposefully took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "I suppose it would be all right, if you really wanted me to…" she breathed, suddenly feeling very, very foolish.

"It would help me out a lot," Meliodas answered. "I haven't really been able to sleep since you left, you know."

"You haven't?" she gasped.

"Nope. And with us starting out tomorrow, I could really use a good night's sleep."

Elizabeth's eyes softened. "Well, of course I'll stay then."

Meliodas went back downstairs to finish up while Elizabeth got ready for bed. When he returned to the room, she was dressed in her bedclothes and waiting under the cover like she always did. He felt a swell of happiness at the sight, and quickly dressed for bed himself before jumping in with her.

Elizabeth laughed as he flipped around in the bed. She leaned over him to draw the blanket up, and he grinned and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her down against him. With another shriek of laughter from the princess he wrapped his own arms tightly around her. She laid her head back against the pillow as he laid his head on her chest, nuzzling his face against her neck. "This is much better without Hawk interfering," he mumbled against her skin.

The princess giggled again and shifted into a comfortable position. Her hand went tentatively on his shoulder, and Meliodas grabbed it and pulled her arm around him. He ran his hand back around her hip and gave her another squeeze. "Comfortable?" he asked.

He felt Elizabeth nod against him, and when she sighed, her breath tickled against his hair. He closed his eyes, trying to match his breath to hers.

The next thing he knew, it was the middle of the night. Elizabeth was fast asleep, still holding him against her. He smiled sleepily and gently pulled her arms from around him. She shifted slightly, and he pulled himself up the bed.

Meliodas leaned over her, watching her sleep for a long moment. There was a part of him that had wondered if they'd ever be back together like this again. Especially as he had seen the coin pulse with the blue light, and when he had jumped to catch her as she fell… He shook his head to push away those thoughts. She was here, alive and unharmed, and he would make sure she stayed that way. That's what mattered.

He leaned forward until his face was barely touching hers. "Elizabeth?" he whispered. "I'm so glad you are back."

"I am too," she muttered, half-asleep. His eyes widened in surprise as she moved towards him, pressing her face against his shoulder. Meliodas rolled to the side, pulling her with him, and they both slept soundly.

.o0o.

Out in the night, a figure watched the lights of the capital glowing. He was filled with rage at the loss of his brother, but kept the feeling tightly screwed in place. He was there for one purpose: chaos. They had gone by many names over the centuries upon centuries since they had been brought into existence: Panic, Fear, Discord, Entropy. The two brothers were halves of the same coin, bent on fulfilling their purpose. Nothing more, nothing less.

He and his brother had succeeded somewhat with their game with the king. Now, it was time to bring chaos to the rest of Britannia.

He narrowed his eyes as they swept over the castle. That princess was the reason he was alone now, left without his other half. Fulfilling his purpose would be harder now, but he was determined to see Britannia in ruins.

He smiled and turned, moving away from Liones with incredible speed. And if he got a bit of revenge on the ones that killed his brother at the same time? That would simply be justice.

.o0o.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I am so appreciative of everyone and really truly enjoyed writing this. If you hadn't already guessed, even though this is the end of this story, there will be another coming shortly. I realized halfway through that there was more story to be told, too much actually, and it probably all would not fit into this one. I hope no one is terribly disappointed in the choice I made, and I do hope you continue with this to the next.

My apologies to Jenarla xXx… I hope you are all right with this ending, and pray that you will have faith that the next one will fulfill some goodness for us both. :)

I really want to say a huge THANK YOU to woundedowl, Cerulean Grace, and BettyBest2 for keeping me so well entertained during the writing of this story. And I also must thank DOMinMatrix, who encouraged me to post it in the first place.

Endings are so bittersweet, but I am excited to move onto the next story and I hope you will give the next one a chance at well. I really love this community here, and I am so lucky to be a part of it!