After that spectacle with Fraudrin, Elizabeth guessed that he wouldn't feel like celebrating. Not with a crowd anyway. Although he liked to hide it, Elizabeth had learned to comprehend his moods and states of mind. Everyone knew Meliodas as a warrior, so he only presented himself that way and that was the legacy he created. The legacy he forced himself to live up to. He was never seen upset or troubled or fazed. After all, that was what made him Meliodas and the legendary captain of the seven deadly sins. Anything else would make him unrecognizable.
Yet here he was, sat inside his broken tavern, falling apart. Being someone who shed many tears, sometimes unnecessarily, Elizabeth was familiar with pain. Deep-rooted suffering, the kind of hurt that had been concealed for so long and when it was exposed, the aftermath was nothing short of traumatizing. It was obvious why he came here. Shattered or standing, the Boar hat was home. It was the only place that remained the same even when the world was turned upside down. In a world crawling with demons, it was the only place that made sense right now.
"I thought I'd find you here", Elizabeth said approaching the fire.
Meliodas looked up surprised, but he couldn't help but smile as he tilted his head to the side. He said her name in the sweetest voice and of course she blushed. Elizabeth didn't waste any time getting out of the rain, she sat down next to him. Meliodas knew she would always find him, but his interest was peaked as to why she came. She had seen him defeat opponent after opponent, but Fraudrin's death was brutal if he was honest with himself. He wasn't sure if the princess would ever speak to him after witnessing such a murder. Usually, Meliodas did not take lives easily, even if the life in question was of the demon who murdered his lover. Yet he didn't hesitate to burn Fraudin from existence. That scared him.
"Ban was making a weird expression when he saw me, it's so weird. I can't even look at my buddy in the eye anymore. Something's different about me. Earlier when I killed Fraudin, it felt so good. And I still feel pretty good, even now", Meliodas said as tears started to flow.
Elizabeth gasped softly, she wasn't going to bring it up but it looked like he had the guts the say what she couldn't. Seeing him down like this, crying pitifully was an extraordinary sight for Elizabeth. Apart from during his trial in the town of the Druids, Meliodas didn't cry. Never in front of her or his comrades. Her eyes were both amazed and confused. With his gaze low and his head in his hands, he looked like a boy. A broken little boy who had been hurting for longer than anyone could imagine.
"Meliodas", was the only word the princess managed to conjure.
"I'm scared, of turning back into who I once was. But...I've still got to let it happen. Otherwise, I won't be able to save you", he said softly.
Tears were still flowing and rain continued to pour on the broken roof of the tavern. Elizabeth didn't speak, she just listened to his trembling words. She never thought this day would come, the day when he allowed himself to be vulnerable with her. She didn't speak, not because she couldn't come up with anything, but because he was opening up. He was finally letting it out - the things that ate him up inside, the things he was afraid to lay unto others because he believed they were too heart-piercing to talk about. Most importantly, Elizabeth didn't speak because he just needed someone to listen. But his words still took her by surprise. Why did he need to save her? And what from? Ever since they met, he had always appeared exactly when she needed him. He was her hero! Meliodas had never failed to protect her, not once and she was sure he never would. She had faith in him today as she would tomorrow and the day after that because it was he who taught her to never give up; he showed her what true strength was.
Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck before bringing him closer to her chest. That way his face rested on her breasts, but not in a perverted way. She wanted to comfort him and this was the only way she knew how. Meliodas didn't jump at the opportunity to grope like usual, he just relaxed against her. Deep down, he felt at ease. Being held by her was the best feeling in the world. Her arms were his safe haven, where he would always find refuge from the storm. Without her, he would be lost. She was the only one that kept him sane. Even though his emotions were slowly being taken from him, she was the one that kept love and hope alive in his heart. And it was for that reason that he believed her when she said...
"It's alright. Everything is going to be fine."
Meliodas smiled. He came out here to drink alone in the rain, but he ended up crying in the arms of his beloved instead. That wasn't planned at all, but he liked the ending anyway. Sometimes even grown men like him needed to cry. Darn you Elizabeth, making me such a softie, he thought. Every moment in which he cried involved her. She was his only weakness. Elizabeth stroked his golden locks as she got lost lost in her own thoughts. The words that he uttered just a few minutes ago left her puzzled. He had to sacrifice his sanity to save her, but why? Why would he go through all of that trouble to save her from a threat she didn't even know of? Did she really mean that much to him? Elizabeth spoke optimistically in order to reassure him, but her mind feared the worst. She knew their battle with the Ten Commandments was far from over, a battle in which more blood will inevitably be spilled. What if he got seriously injured trying to protect her and never woke up? What if he died for real this time and she was left all alone? A life without Meliodas would be meaningless and empty. She simply couldn't bear it.
Thinking and visualizing battle grounds covered in bloody swords that pierced flesh that will never regenerate, that was sad enough. But watching the one she loved die, his lifeless body trampled on the ground - now that was cruel. And her mind wouldn't let her forget how he was murdered slowly by Estarossa of Benevolence. Tears began to flow before should even understand what was going on. Perhaps this was how Meliodas felt when he pictured Liz dying. Of course, it was exactly the same. So as the rain poured and tears flowed, both Meliodas and Elizabeth found strength in each other as they awaited tomorrow.