Chapter Text
Meliodas groaned as his back moulded to the stiff bark of the tree and he shimmied the torn wanted poster from his pocket. His eyes studied the sheet as he pressed his lips together and made a low humming noise, ‘She’s much prettier in person…’ With his free hand he popped a blackberry into his mouth. He didn’t care if they’d stain his fingers red – deep, deadly red, like wine or blood. It was a sight he was used to by now, something as familiar as the lines and scars etched into his palms.
He’d been watching her all day. The exiled princess – Princess Elizabeth. His newest target and the one the queen of this land had hired him to hunt down and kill. All to retrieve a precious treasure she’d stolen when she’d fled the palace months ago, and for her many alleged crimes against the queendom since. The particularities of those crimes were none of his business and yet as he’d watched her today he couldn’t help but wonder…
When he’d left the palace earlier he’d been given an old wanted poster and the location of the farm where she was last seen. And that was more than enough for him to find her in a matter of hours. Usually, he found his targets sneaking around in dark alleys, stealing from the poor and threatening the innocent. All the while constantly looking over through shoulders. Living in constant fear of their well-deserved, hard-earned bounties being collected. Fear of sudden death from within the same shadows they sought refuge.
But much to his shock, he’d found Elizabeth in no such places. He’d found her strolling through a small village – in plain sight and stunning daylight. He’d found her handing out freshly picked flowers to the children of the village and braiding them into their hair before they ran off to join their friends. There wasn’t a trace of fear marring her face – no sign that her demons followed in the shadow of every step she took. There was only the graceful curve of a sweet smile and blue eyes that reminded him of the sky far above.
Usually, he didn’t waste any time on his marks. But as soon as he laid eyes on her, he’d felt a strong, steady beat in his chest. It was unexpected and shocked him enough that he paused – fearing some kind of dark magic had taken hold of him. The feeling seemed to fade as he passed her stall in the marketplace. But his instincts told him that he needed to be more cautious with her than some of his other victims. So, he’d followed her.
And the more he followed her, the more he was convinced her list of crimes was greatly exaggerated. He’d killed countless criminals, con-men and dictators, and none of them wasted even a second helping others. None of them made him question the reason why he’d taken a job – the reason why he’d agreed to kill any of them.
But this princess he’d been hired to take care of was – by his judgement – a generous, kind-hearted and spirited young woman. In his eyes she was as innocent as a person could be, even though he’d been told different. The whole thing made his head hurt as he was filled with questions he’d been taught to never ask. But just watching her he couldn’t help himself.
After she’d finished selling flowers at the fair, she’d gone to the nearby apothecary and bought medicine – not for herself – but for an old woman living near the edge of town. Then she’d used her remaining pieces of silver to buy an apple, that she ate near the village fountain – alone.
If he hadn’t been told by the queen just yesterday that she’d grown up in the palace, he never would’ve guessed. Of course, it was possible her version of a simple life was purely constructed as a disguise – after all she was on the run as a wanted criminal. But that didn’t seem to be the case. Her purity and goodness just felt so genuine, he couldn’t believe it was all a trick.
‘It must be something about the shade of blue in her eyes.’ He thought, studying the greyscale wanted poster, as he imagined all of the colours of her being lighting up the dreary piece of paper.
Suddenly a rustling sound came from the bushes near the shallow lake that his tree leaned over. The sound was soon followed by the appearance of the silver-haired beauty plaguing his thoughts. Of course, none of this came as a surprise. He knew she was living in the cottage a short distance from this lake – it was why he’d chosen to camp out here.
She was humming to herself. A sweet song, like a lullaby he’d heard once upon a time but locked away deep in the darkness of his childhood memories. The notes carried on the evening breeze up into the tree where he was perched, soothing his senses.
An empty wooden bucket was placed on the edge of the lake as Elizabeth walked into the water, each step sending waves through the surface. By the time she finally reached its centre her white dress had floated up until it danced around her waist. It was a most angelic sight – the way it moved like a lily on the water’s rippling surface.
Her back was to him as she faced the trickling waterfall at the rocky edge of the lake. Then ever so slowly she reached up and unhooked the straps of her thin white dress so it fell off her body and into a puddle of ivory.
Meliodas knew he should look away. Away from the porcelain skin of the princess standing under the moon. She wasn’t like the other criminals he’d chased. She had dignity, and he felt wrong watching her like this. But he just couldn’t stop. And it wasn’t because she was beautiful – even though she was, undeniably so. It was because the scene he was witnessing felt so serene, so pure. It was like being blessed by the heavens.
It was something that someone like him should never witness – not with all the blood on his hands. Not after everything he’d done to corrupt his soul. But he was transfixed – completely and shamelessly fascinated by the unassuming beauty shimmering in the moonlight.
Elizabeth leant down and cupped the glowing moonlit water in her hands, pouring it over her cascading silver hair. She was like a goddess, descended from the sky for just a fleeting moment before her fate inevitably drew her back up to where she belonged. Far away from him and the cruelty of the mortal world.
She was supposedly the evil thief the queen herself had thrown an inordinate bounty at? She was the cruel and deceitful princess of this dying queendom? He wasn’t so sure anymore.
A strong wind blew through the forest behind him. Shaking the trees around him and jostling him from his place on the branch with a loud snapping sound. Elizabeth whipped her head around. Her blue eyes startled and shining as she searched her surroundings.
But there was nothing there, because Meliodas was faster than the blustering winds of the nearing storm. He had to be, it was part of his job as the most decorated assassin in the realm.
He’d easily made the silent jump down to the forest floor. His back staying plastered to the twisted trunk of the tree he’d just been watching her from. He didn’t even breath as he waited for her to make a move. Then he heard it. The hurried slosh of water behind him as Elizabeth smartly gathered herself and exited the lake as fast as she could.
Even stronger gusts of wind flew through the forest – so strong he had to close his eyes to fight the chill. She squeaked behind him, her soft sound of distress calling out to him as he peeked around the tree. A piece of tousled, blonde hair cut through his vision and he hurried to swipe it away before the wind struck again.
Elizabeth shivered violently as the wet dress clung to her body, every curve highlighted in the night. And damn if it wasn’t the most enticing thing he’d ever seen… But he had a job to do. So, no matter how much this princess made his heart pound – beating with the distant memory of what it felt like to be near such a kind soul. He had to take her heart and present it to the queen – because his life lay in the balance.
His life, or more accurately his heart was currently in a box in the queen’s vault. Kept beating by magic alone – dark magic that bound him to this mission and made sure he’d follow through. Because if his mentors had taught him anything it was that the perfect assassin was ruthless and selfish. So why then could he still feel his heart beating in his chest when she was near? What kind of impossible magic did the princess possess that could fight the queen’s spell? And why did he care if he was supposed to be heartless…
The sound of scattered rain droplets filled the small area they both stood – only a few feet apart, but in another sense entire worlds away. The droplets made a unique pattern on the water creating a beautiful painting of waves and ripples as the nearby waterfall flowed stronger. But their delicate pitter-patter was soon drowned out by the harsh galloping of a group of horses.
‘I almost forgot… I’m not the only one charged with her bounty.’ Meliodas’ muscles tensed against the uneven bark of the tree, as his eyes grew darker and his mind wiped clean. It was time to set aside his strange fascination with the girl. Time to forget that she’d been able to restart his absent heart – if only for the briefest moment. And time to finally finish this job. He’d stalled long enough.
He glanced over at her quickly to see she was still completely oblivious to the imminent danger she was in. Whether it be from him or the pack of huntsmen on horseback, whose hoofbeats were now completely blanketed by the steady rain. Instead, she was kneeling by the edge of the lake, scooping water into the bucket she’d brought with her.
His footsteps were silent – the ground yet to turn completely muddy – as he snuck up behind her. He stood there for a moment, admiring her damp silver hair that glinted in the dimmed light, with the moon now cloaked in dark clouds. Then thunder cracked and lightning illuminated the lake, shocking the princess so her bucket of water spilt. And she turned around to see him.
But unlike the meeting he’d imagined they could’ve had – in another life. She was terrified as her blue eyes shook with fear at the sight of him and his soulless stare.
“Who are you?” She demanded. Lightning struck again, somewhere far away in the distant mountains, but the sky was still bright enough to light up his figure casting a shadow over hers.
Meliodas lunged forward sealing a hand over her parted lips as he grabbed her waist and dragged her through the forming puddles. She struggled, screaming into his hand as mud drenched the bottom of her dress.
He could hear the horses approaching their position, as he dragged her up so his arm held tight around her waist and hid them in the shade of a wide tree. “Shh.” He whispered, his warm breath skimming her neck, making her shiver in his grip.
If he was smart he would snap her neck and claim her bounty right here. Just to prove to the incoming pack of hunters that he was far superior to them. But his hands did not hold the strength to perform such an act.
Maybe it was the cold or the gentle brush of her petal-soft lips against his hand. Or maybe it was the feel of her beating heart against his chest and the warmth of her body despite her wet clothes. It sapped all the strength from him and all that was left was the need to protect her from the other hunters. He was wavering again and he cursed himself for it.
“There’s no one in here!” A voice shouted, snapping Meliodas to attention.
And just like that, galloping hooves took off. Continuing on and leaving the seemingly abandoned cottage far behind. It felt almost lucky for them both that Elizabeth had chosen to leave her home at just the right time and he in turn had been there to stop her rushing back inside. But was it luck or fate? And whose luck was it exactly?
His hand loosened over her mouth as her breathing jumped. “Did you… save me?” She whispered into the night air and for a moment it wasn’t clear if she expected an answer.
Meliodas felt himself shudder as he released her and she took a few slow steps forward before turning to face him. But this time she wasn’t afraid – confused and cautious maybe, but not afraid. Even though he knew she should be. Her eyes moved like water as she studied him and it stirred his locked-up heart again. But just a few beats was all it could afford to give.
“No.” Was his only reply – low and dark, like the storm hovering over them. Then he knocked her out with a firm tap to the side of her neck.
***
He could hear Elizabeth coming to as he roamed around the cottage. Her soft moans echoed through the small room as she shifted in the wooden chair he’d tied her to. When he noticed she was still shivering he knelt down to place a block of wood on the burning fire with a soft clunk – quickly jolting back when embers exploded into the air.
“Urgh…” Elizabeth moaned and he heard the rattling of the chair as she instinctively tried to move her arms and legs. “What happened to me?” She asked of no one in particular as her head hung low.
Meliodas stood from near the fire, not making a sound as he walked over to her. His gaze was cold –despite the nearby flames warming the room and drying their wet clothes – as he waited for her to look up and see his shadow.
He adjusted the dagger in his grip, trying to hide the fact that his grasp on the weapon was slipping. Although he’d never admit his sweaty palms were not in fact caused by the fire, but instead his jittering nerves – nerves he hadn’t felt since he’d been trained in the art of death as a young child.
Elizabeth moved again her head tilting to the side and her silver hair moving with her as it fell off her shoulder. Then she looked up and even though her glassy eyes were still re-focussing on the world he saw the slightest spark of recognition in the sea of blue. “It’s you…” She groaned, her voice raspy as she fought the dryness in her throat.
His jaw tensed as he fought against his better judgement and reached out a strong hand to grasp her throat – foregoing the dagger that had been silently trembling in his hand. “Where is it?” He demanded, frustration from having searched the whole house twice, seeping into his tone.
The queen had told him that the princess stole a precious family heirloom. A gem the colour of the sky that was worth more than a hundred gems just like it. But no matter how much he searched he couldn’t find anything matching that description. So he’d paced and sat and nervously waited for Elizabeth to wake up and tell him where the treasure was hidden. Before he cut out her heart.
Elizabeth gasped as she fought for breath, clearly trying to form an answer to his question but unable to do so with him choking her. He loosened his grip, feeling the racing pulse of her carotid artery slowing ever so slightly. “Who-What are you t-t-talking about?” Her voice cracked at the edges.
Meliodas sighed as a wicked smile formed on his face as he leaned closer to her – so close that he could smell the rain on her skin and the slightest hint of roses. He tried not to breath too deeply but her scent was so delicious and he was so close that he couldn’t help it. The same way he couldn’t help how his faraway heart gave another stuttering beat that made his grin falter. ‘Dammit!’ He cursed, his hand unconsciously tightening around her neck.
Elizabeth stared at him with panicked eyes, “Did… did the queen send you?”
He straightened slightly as he scoffed at her question, believing it to be painfully obvious why he was here. Surely she’d seen the wanted posters on her trips to town. Surely she couldn’t be so oblivious to think she’d get away with the traitorous crimes the queen accused her of. If she’d really grown up in the castle she’d know all too well that all traitors were executed. Whether it be in front of a crowd, after a fair trial, or alone and helpless in the dark of the night.
“If you know who sent me, you must know why I’m here.” He replied smoothly. Then abruptly removed his hand from her neck, wiping it against the black material of his pants. Silently hoping that would rid himself of the softness of her skin – the petal-like texture scarring his hardened palms.
Elizabeth coughed hard, desperately trying to clear her throat as he saw the mark of his hand coming up red against her pale skin. “O-Other than my life, I don’t know what more the queen could possibly want from me.” She looked up at him again, her blue eyes reflecting the embers sparking from the fire. He felt his body tense up in response.
That look in her eyes. It was something he’d never seen in his targets before. It wasn’t fear or guilt or desperation. She wasn’t pleading for her life for any kind of selfish reason like all the others. She was prepared to fight for her dignity despite being resigned to a fate she knew might come for her.
He took a step back, subconsciously trying to flee from this woman who made him question everything he knew about the dark world he lived in. A world where people weren’t ever simply good. Where everyone was cowardly and selfish, and they all wanted something from someone else. It was a world where his work was never in short supply – and even if it lined his pockets he’d always thought that was a real pity.
But if Elizabeth existed in a world like that. If she could still look at him with such fire and stir his dormant heart, then maybe there was still a chance for this world…
He forced himself to blink away the thought as he cast his eyes to the dagger growing cold on the floor, the silver-haired princess tied up and the room torn apart in his search. This was a mission and for better or worse he had to see it through – otherwise he wouldn’t live to his next job. Such were the dangers of accepting a job from the queen.
“The gem, where is it?” Meliodas asked, his voice softer but ringing with authority. He watched Elizabeth grow even more pale in the firelit room as her eyes were cast away from his. He found her behaviour curious but then he noticed something hanging from her ear, glinting in the light. Something that looked awfully similar to the description he’d been given by the queen. “Well, well, well, so that’s where you’ve been hiding it.”
Elizabeth looked at him with scrunched up brows then noticed his gaze trained on her ear and rushed to hide the gemstone from view. She flicked her head, shielding the gem with a wall of silver. But Meliodas simply leaned down, cupping her cheek as he brushed her hair aside.
“Don’t touch it!” She screamed in his face, thrashing about until his hand was painfully squeezed between her cheek and her shoulder. He winced, but remained undeterred, as he calmly studied the gem that seemed to be clumsily fashioned into an earring. ‘Clever…’ He thought with a smug grin, unhooking and pocketing the treasure.
“Give that back!” Elizabeth struggled against him, bringing her head up so they were face to face once more. His hand was still on her cheek, stroking her flushed skin as he pouted at her with blatantly false sympathy. “Give it back! It was a gift from my mother!” She turned towards his hand trying to bite down on it, but Meliodas dodged, skipping back just in time.
“Woah, easy there.” He chided, his hands folding behind his head as he regarded her panting and flushed. The anger in her gaze was unmistakable and for a moment he felt relieved, believing she was finally showing her true colours – desperately holding onto materialistic things like all the others. But then he really thought about what she’d said…
And even though he knew he shouldn’t ask. He should just ignore that nigging feeling in his throat. He shouldn’t give her yet another chance to sway his heart…. “You mean a gift from the queen?” Meliodas hummed, watching the anger in her gaze burst to life again with the nearby flames.
“She’s not my mother!” Elizabeth sent him a scathing look, shocking him into silence as his hands fell from behind his head to hang at his sides. For once he couldn’t think of any smart comeback or quip. He didn’t dare try.
“But that doesn’t make sense, she’s the queen and you’re the princess?” He tilted his head from side to side as a pang of hurt shot through Elizabeth’s watery eyes.
“She’s my stepmother… the queen killed my mother… my father too.” She confessed quietly, looking down again as tears silently fell to her lap – onto her dirty white dress, barely dried from the rain.
Meliodas scoffed even as his chest ached listening to her stifled sobs, “You’re lying, there was no word of that broadcast throughout the kingdoms. The late king died of a heart condition.” He shrugged, dismissing her, even as Elizabeth peeked up at him with tears clinging to her lashes.
He instantly knew he was in the wrong, he felt it in his bones. But at this point he was so close to finishing the job, he had to take precautions to make sure his traitorous heart didn’t get in the way. Precautions that were seemingly more and more futile with every second that passed – with every breath between them.
“That’s what the queen wanted people to think. She poisoned them both…” Elizabeth quietly sobbed even as her voice grew tight with bottled-up rage.
‘Poison…’ His gaze hardened as he continued to stare deep into her eyes – determined to find the trace of lies hidden behind her tears. But all he found was an honest heart and tragedy that felt all too familiar.
Meliodas had never met a soul such as hers. One that had experienced so much death and sorrow but remained innocent. And he should know better than anyone how rare that is – after all, his life had been filled with similar tragedy, but he’d given into the darkness. He’d willingly turned his heart to stone just to survive.
“Have you ever heard of the Kingdom of Danafor?” He asked, blonde hair swaying low to cover his eyes. It was the first time he’d uttered the name of his forgotten homeland in several years and he didn’t know why he did. A shiver ran through him as the words played on his lips, over and over.
“M-my father told me about it. The people rebelled against a greedy king and tore the castle apart, killing all the members of the royal family.” Elizabeth replied, wiping her tear-stained cheeks against her bare shoulder as best she could. She was looking at him with a curiosity that made him feel more vulnerable than he had in years. It felt like she could totally see through him and the mask he put up – like no one ever had before.
“Not all members of the royal family.” Meliodas looked off to the side, too scared she would see through his veiled words. Too scared she would see his soul and how torn she was making him feel.
“Do you mean…?” She trialled off, gently pulling at her binds as she leaned closer to him.
“I was there when the kingdom fell. I was once the crown prince…” He said, his voice a quiet whisper and he both hoped she’d heard him but also prayed she didn’t.
He couldn’t figure out what had possessed him to confess something he’d kept secret all these years – to a stranger of all people. And yet he felt closer to her than he had to anyone in years. Closer to her than any of the bandit groups that had taught him the art of killing – before they inevitably stabbed him in the back once they found out who he was. And what he might have been worth in gold pieces.
Maybe that was why he’d decided to tell her – to finally be released from the secret that had been slowly poisoning him for decades. Or maybe it was because he felt like she was the one person who might understand his pain. Someone with the same sad story but who’d chosen an entirely different path.
He knew it was ridiculous since he’d tied her up, stole her precious treasure – her one memory of her mother – and was ultimately planning to kill her. But he still felt an odd kinship with her. He felt like he could trust her and it felt good to finally be able to trust someone. Even for a moment.
“So… what really happened to your kingdom?” Elizabeth asked and Meliodas sighed as he squatted down in front of her to answer with the closest thing to a real smile he could muster these days.
“Just like the stories say… my father was greedy and cruel. He drained the people dry and one day they’d had enough. The people sent caskets of poisoned wine to the castle for one of my father’s many banquets.” Meliodas shoved a hand into his pocket, running his thumb over the smooth surface of the stolen gemstone, “He shared it among his advisors and once they were all dead the people attacked, hurling stones at the castle until it crumbled. My brother and I tried to escape through the tunnels, but… he was crushed under the rubble. I was the only one who made it out.”
“You… alone?” Elizabeth’s voice shook as it trailed off into a whimper, and when he looked up at her he was shocked to find tears building at the corners of her eyes once again. “I’m so sorry…”
His lips pressed into a tight line to hide the emotions he felt at hearing her say those words. ‘She’s sorry?’ No one had ever said such words to him in such a way. They only apologised as they pleaded for their lives, never meaning a single word and never knowing what exactly they were apologising for.
But he’d told her his story and she hadn’t said what all the others had – the ones whose echoing taunts always haunted his nightmares. She hadn’t told him it was his fault that his father was a tyrant. Or that it was his fault that his brother was dead. That it was because he was weak that his people rebelled and his kingdom fell. That all the blood was on his hands. ‘So much blood…’ It was all he’d ever been told since he was a young. All he’d ever heard from the bandits who’d raised him.
Without realising it, his hands were trembling as he pushed himself up from the floor. Just to look down at the teary eyed princess he now had to kill. His body was still shaking as he picked the dagger up from the floor. And more still as he walked towards her – tied up but still so strong. Elizabeth looked at him with a smile and rosy cheeks – every bit as beautiful and pure now as she had been in the lake.
“I understand.” She said, and part of him screamed at him to cut out her heart. To finish the job so his would cease beating once again. Part of him itched to kill her so she would never have the chance to sell him out to his own bounty hunters. So he could never be betrayed by the one he’d chosen to trust after all these years.
“I’m sorry too.” He murmured as he twisted the knife around in his hand and squeezed the hilt. Elizabeth’s eyes were closed as he leaned down, his chest pressed to hers as he reached around the back of the chair. Swiftly cutting the ropes binding her wrists – before he could change his mind. Then he stepped back into the shadows by the dim glow of the fireplace. As far away from her as he could manage in the small room.
Elizabeth flinched as her eyes remained squeezed shut. She didn’t move for a short while but he assumed she must’ve noticed the lack of blood trickling down her arms and a heart still hammering steadily in her chest. A heart he was now ashamed to think he could ever have the right to take.
He kept still in the shadows, hoping she would believe he had already slipped out as she untied her feet from the chair. But instead she stood up, stretching her previously confined limbs as she rubbed at her wrists. And she looked directly at him. Like she could sense his presence, his breathing, maybe even the guilt radiating from his bones.
The kind smile hadn’t left her face as she moved towards him. Staying in the light of the rising sun that peeked into the cottage from under the door. While he remained in the dark. Then she held out her hand.
“You could stay here… if you’d like?” She offered with that outstretched hand, free of scars, “You could stay with me.”
He blinked at her, confused by her offer as surely she’d figured out what he was and why he was there. That he’d been sent to retrieve something more precious than the gemstone that hung from her ear. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” She replied quickly as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
“I’m under contract with the queen. I need to deliver your heart and the gemstone or she’ll kill me.” He said with a blank stare and cool tone, feeling nothing upon reciting his mission. A mission he’d received hundreds of times. Although this would be his last – he’d failed after all. “She took my heart as collateral, if I fail or run she’ll crush it in her palm.”
Meanwhile Elizabeth blanched, her hand twitching as it curled into a fist and hung by her side once more. ‘Has she finally realised what I really am?’ His stomach twisted as he watched her tremble in the slithers of sunlight.
“Give me your dagger.” She demanded, suddenly reaching out again, much more forcefully this time. Meliodas was shocked but felt himself oblige her odd request as he pulled the dagger from his belt.
The dagger fell into her outstretched hand and Elizabeth faltered slightly under its weight. It was obvious to him in that moment, that she’d never held a weapon in her life. But that wasn’t too surprising – he hadn’t either when he was a naïve young prince.
What was truly surprising was what she did next as she took the bare blade and made a gaping cut in her hand. Deep enough that when she withdrew the dagger it was coated in dark red blood.
“What are you doing?!” He shouted, stepping out of the shadows to grab the dagger from her. Convinced she’d suddenly gone crazy.
But instead of retreating back into the dark, like he’d planned, Elizabeth grasped her wrist and kept him in the light. “T-Take that dagger back to the q-queen along with the heart of an animal from the nearby farm.” Elizabeth winced as she pressed her bloody hand to her dress – putting pressure on the wound and further ruining the ivory cloth. “That… along with the gemstone, should be enough to convince her.”
“Y-You…” Meliodas tried to say but no words escaped his lips. Nothing felt right to say in this moment. ‘She did that to help me… to save me?’ He bit the inside of his cheek as he forced his gaze away – feeling far too unworthy to be receiving any help from her.
With the hand she wasn’t holding, he tore some fabric from the bottom of his black vest and held it out to her blindly. “Here.”
“Um, thanks.” Elizabeth muttered in reply as she took his offering and stepped back to sit on the couch near the fire.
“But won’t you be sad if I take that gemstone? It’s the last memory of your mother…” He watched her closely as she inspected her wound and pressed the black cloth against it, wincing slightly.
“I will be… but you need it more than me, it’s what she would have wanted too.” Feeling as though the bleeding had ceased for now, Elizabeth wrapped the cloth around her hand as many times as it would allow. She fiddled with the tiny bits of fabric at the end, attempting to tie the knot to no avail.
“You…” Meliodas sighed, words continuing to elude him as he walked over to kneel in front of her, “Surely you know I’m not worth saving.” He huffed a laugh as he tied the knot around her bleeding hand – tight enough that the remaining blood started to soak through, staining the fabric even darker.
“That’s not true!” Elizabeth retorted, “I’m sure you didn’t choose to live like this. Your kingdom was destroyed, you had no other choice.”
Meliodas gave her a sad smile, his eyes softening in a way that felt unfamiliar. In a way she was right, he’d started working as an assassin to survive in this cruel world. He’d closed off his heart, only choosing to believe in the darkness of humankind. But seeing how she lived even in the face of the very same tragedies. He realised now that he was wrong. There was another path he could’ve taken, but he chose this one… He chose wrong.
“Perhaps, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve killed dozens of people.” Meliodas pressed his lips together, his chest growing tight at the admission.
“That’s true…” She murmured and her words somehow stung more than Meliodas admitting his sins to himself, “But our past doesn’t decide our future.” And then she smiled and held his hand in hers – staining it with her blood.
He couldn’t help but think about what his life could’ve been like if he’d met her sooner. Maybe he wouldn’t have spilt so much blood or caused so much pain – even to those that deserved it. Her smile was so bright, he felt it chase away the darkness bit by bit, until it cowered in a corner of his soul. He knew it would always be there – he could probably never escape it – but he wouldn’t let it control him anymore.
Meliodas found himself laughing as he pushed up from the floor and stood before her. “Well… you’re all bandaged up, but you should know that’ll probably scar.”
“I don’t mind. Scars are just proof I’m still alive. And as long as I’m alive there’s a chance I can take back my home.” Elizabeth’s smile faded a bit but determination still burned bright in her eyes as she stared head-on into the fire.
‘Home…’ His heart sunk at the word. She had a home to go back to – to fight for – something he would probably never have.
Even though it hurt him to do so, he turned away from her to face the sunlight streaming through the cracked wooden door. And he took a step towards it and away from her – somehow feeling as though he was walking away from the light instead of towards it.
“Hey! W-Where are you going?” Her voice called out to him and he stopped in his tracks, cursing himself for wavering in his resolve. But she sounded so distressed he didn’t want to leave her like this.
"To complete my mission, remember.” He replied without turning back. Fearing that if he did she would pull him back in so he’d never want to leave.
She’d offered to let him stay earlier, but surely she’d only said that because of the sheer relief she felt that he’d spared her – he’d assumed it was a false offer to express some kind of gratitude. Surely she wouldn’t want someone like him haunting her for much longer – a killer like him would only contaminate her light. After all, kindness can only stretch so far for a monster like him–
“And will you come back once it’s done?” He heard her take a step towards him, her words halting his every thought as he was forced to look over his shoulder.
‘She said it again… ‘come back’…’ It wasn’t a fluke or an illusion brought on by some surge of emotion. She actually wanted him to return to this place – the place where she was.
To come back would mean he’d finally have a place to come back to. Some people would call that a home, but the concept felt too foreign for him to accept right now. But maybe if he just gave himself the chance…
“I… I will.” Meliodas smiled – slow and shy – as he turned to face her completely. Watching her face light up with a triumphant grin as she played with the bandage on her hand, and he suddenly got the urge to tease her. Hoping to bring a beautiful blush back to her pale cheeks, “Maybe I can bunk with you, princess.” His smile turned into a smirk as he saw that he’d succeeded.
“W-W-Well there’s not much room, so um… I d-don’t know… m-maybe?” Elizabeth stuttered and Meliodas nearly choked on his laughter, in absolute awe that she took him seriously. Although it did make him wonder what he should do from there, it was definitely an enticing offer but he most certainly made that request in jest. Right?
He ran a hand through his hair, his phantom heart beating faster, “Don’t worry, I was kidding.” He smiled before turning on his heels to walk out the door. She took another step towards him, almost like she was getting ready to follow, but then she stopped. And he was grateful for it.
He couldn’t bare if she suddenly declared she was coming with him. He’d much rather have her stay here and stay safe. So that she could be here if – and when – he decided to return.
Stepping out of the tiny cottage and into the morning light, he noticed it felt much warmer than before. Warmer than it had in years in fact. ‘It feels good to have a place to return to…’ He could feel something fluttering in his chest again like a butterfly trying to find its way out of a cage. It was like his heart was calling out to him and he couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel to be near Elizabeth with it beating solidly in his chest.
The lake near the cottage was now lit up by the rising sun instead of the waning moon. He smirked as he made his way over to it – memories of last night coming back to him through a different lens than before. Leaning down he cupped his hands to take a drink from the still waters. It was a long journey back to the palace and an even longer journey back here. But it would be worth it because this was the place she’d be waiting for him.