It won't happen again
There was a faint clasp of thunder when Meliodas eyes snapped open and he begins gasping for the air his nightmares took away from him. Putting a hand to his forehead he takes several deep breaths and tries to collect his thoughts.
"What the hell was that?" He sighs wiping the sweat from his brow. All of his discomfort stirs the sleeping beauty resting next to him and he runs a free hand over the crown of her head causing her eyes to flutter open and stare back into his emerald ones.
"Good morning Mel." Liz yawns rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What's the matter love?"
"It's nothing, just a bad dream is all." But as Meliodas speaks his mind his furrowed eyebrows convince her diversely.
"What is it really Mel?" She gives him a stern look when she speaks, trying desperately to not puff her cheeks otherwise he wouldn't take anything she says at the moment as serious. It doesn't work though and he chuckles as he brushes the bangs from her face. Sitting up, she scowls and huffs her displeasure.
"Honestly it's nothing." He smiles reassuringly and it seems enough to satisfy her for the moment. Getting out of bed, Liz starts to get ready for the day and is abruptly stopped with a swift embrace from behind.
"Promise me you wont go outside today, ok? I have a bad feeling about today and I'd rather not risk finding out why." He breaths her perfume in as he speaks and sighs.
"Is this about your dream? Because I'm still not convinced it's nothing Meliodas." Liz puffs as she turns to return his embrace and he sighs once more.
"Fine, it's a silly dream so don't laugh. We were casually doing what we always do; dishes, laundry, you know, trivial crap, and that's when it went from good to bad. point is you pretty much died and I'm not a big fan of that believe it or not." He says jokingly trying to forget the nightmares of last night in his typical way, by pretending they don't really bother him of course.
"O Mel, you are too funny. You know who I am! I'm the girlfriend of the greatest holy knight in all of Britania! I don't think he would allow my death." Liz chuckles also pretending that his premonition doesn't bother her, but Meliodas isn't laughing and Liz can tell she upset him with her words. "Meliodas, I'll be ok you'll see! You told me you'd always protect me, remember?" Liz coaxes him from his silent depression and he looks into her eyes as she grabs his chin softly.
"Liz, I know you think I'm some sort of hero, but there are things even I'm not capable of preventing. Death being one of them." Meliodas murmurs and Liz can swear she sees his eyes getting a little watery with his words.
"Well, try not to dwell on it. It's just a silly dream." Liz shrugs and breaks away from his grasp.
"I'll still feel better if you just promise not to go outside. Jeez you are so stubborn sometimes." Meliodas crosses his arms as his words gush out in an almost bitter tone.
"O my gosh fine!" She scowls and continues to get dressed as he opens the door to leave her alone with her thoughts, satisfied with her half hearted promise of staying indoors for the time being.
"What is his problem today, he is so suspicious sometimes." Liz frowns as she adorns her Danafor tabard and readies herself for the day inside their cutely decorated home. "At least he knows how to take care of me, I'll give him that." She smiles down at the crest on her shirt thinking of how if it wasn't for him she probably wouldn't have the option to go outside anyways, or any options for that matter seeing as how everyone was ready to behead her the second they saw her. She shivered at the memory and rubbed her arms with either hand. "It's so chilly in here, maybe if I opened the blinds a bit the sun will warm up the room?" Her thoughts comfort her as she walks over to the blinds and opens them, but she discovers her theories are fruitless as the rain outside hits the glass and rolls down to the ground. "Well crap, I don't think I'd want to be outside anyways, so I guess he gets what he wants yet again." Liz says rolling her eyes. But her vision catches something odd and her hands fly to her mouth as she gasps. A demonic figure walks through the alleys tearing everything in its path to shreds. She can see another figure in the distance about to be terrorized by the monster and flees the safety of her and Meliodas bedroom in hopes of stopping whatever was about to transpire between them. As she races down the stairs she can hear Meliodas sweeping the floor of their kitchen. She rushes past him ,but she fails to escape as he lets the grip on the broom loosen and clasps his hands around hers. Already well aware that the aura of the beast was none other than that of his past companions and victim, Fraudrin. He was trying to lie low hoping that Fraudrin would leave the village in peace and forgetting all about his revenge on Meliodas, but the woman Liz caught a glimpse of beckons her and threatens the safety of his one and only love. He knows its selfish of him, but he stares into her sparkling blue eyes and begs her not to leave.
"Liz you promised me!" He wails and her head turns from his mournful eyes.
"She needs me, I have to help her! Meliodas she will die!"
"And so will you! I know what is out there! I know what that is and I'm telling you, you can't win this one! You can't and I can't save you if you go!" His eyes filling with tears with what is coming and realizing what is about to happen knowing just how stubborn she really is.
"I have to do this, Meliodas I have to. I know what I saw too, and I know that woman has a child she has yet to deliver. She needs help even if a life must be sacraficed for hers and her unborn child." Liz's gaze is almost as pained as his, but he sees a hint of determination in her sapphire eyes and releases his grip on her coming to terms with the fact that nothing he can say or do will change her mind, but he thinks to himself that maybe a small chance might arise and he'll be able to stop whatever painful thing was about to happen to their short and blissful reality. Liz turn and shoves the door open with breakneck speeds as she races out towards the monster and the girl. She looks back for an instance at their tiny cottage for what may be the last time and see Meliodas following close behind. The rain felt like fire against her skin as it pelted her in the face with the force of the wind behind it, running as hard and as fast as she could towards the beast. As she came closer she could hear the demon calling for Meliodas and she's taken back for a quick moment.
'Why the heck is he looking for Meliodas? What does he want with him!?' Her thoughts racing now, she can clearly see the rest of the mayhem and destruction the monstrosity had caused and the thousands of other demons that had come to confront Meliodas about his past, her being none the wiser about such things. All she knew now was this woman and child needed her help and she would give anything to make that happen. But Liz felt a twinge of fear as she saw the brute lift his large spear head into the air and begin to plunge it toward the mother, her face gasping for the air to scream as she lifts her hands to shield herself and her baby. Liz gave one final step and lunged towards the scuffle, placing herself between the two and in the direct path of monsters blade. She was struck in the chest below her shoulder and the pierce of the weapon dug all the way through and out of her right shoulder, plunging her to the ground and covered in blood. Meliodas' footsteps slowed as he witnessed Liz being ripped away from him, almost as if his nightmare had become reality and weakening his knees enough to give way and collapse to the ground. From his place in the dirt, he could see Fraudrin laughing and lifting Liz's weak body into the air before flinging her into a pillar just a few feet from Meliodas. The beast continued his aggravating laughter causing Meliodas to clench his teeth and push himself up off the ground. Fists clenched and staggering, Meliodas calls for Fraudrin to face him and the demon complies. He can feel the hatered rising in his chest as he tries to calm himself, but images of Liz's limp body bombard his mind and all he can see within is a darkness, like tar or oil, bubbling towards the surface. Teeth biting together harder and harder as a similar aura to Fraudrins starts to inflate inside. Before he can stop the rage from plunging Danafor into an eternal gulch, he screams and his whole body turns black with his eyes being the only color left in his face. A flash of white calms Meliodas and he turns, finding nothing left around himself, except for Liz and the matron she had failed to salvage when he glanced over to find she had died from complications of her birth. He notices the direction the woman was facing and can see she was headed towards the hospital, probably ready to deliver any minute. Meliodas doesn't concern himself with her at the moment, his thoughts focused only on his beloved Liz who is leaning propped up against the pillar she was violently thrown against. He walks right past the mothers body and towards his loved one, standing at her feet with his head hung low, tears fighting against him and falling to the ground.
"Don't cry." Liz chokes on her breath as she tries to comfort him. "Well see each other again." A smile forming on her face as her solom words fail to bring him any comfort and he falls to his knees, clutching her close to himself for what seems to be an eternity. He can swear he feels her soul leave her as he grips her in his arms for the last time and tears stream down his face and cheeks. Sobbing, he tries to lift her off the ground to give her a proper resting place, but it's difficult for him to find his footing and he slips with her in his arms. Eventually he manages to find the strength to bury her corpse in the thick mud, which was just as difficult as trying to imagine his life without her now. The way she smiled at him in the mornings, the breakfasts together, or chasing her into the fields during the spring and fall seasons and rolling around in all the colors. Never being able to touch her, or caress her face and never being able to hold her in his arms while she slept. New tears fall to his feet as he kneels in front of Liz's grave, but a faint cry snaps him back to reality and he remembers the mother he left laying face down in the dirt. His feet instinctively lift him off the ground and the crying grows louder. He finds his feet pulling him, though he hasn't taken a step from his lovers grave and now the wails can be heard clearly from where he stands. Panic rises within his chest as he begs his feet to move. He takes a slow step back and quickly turns to the sound of the whimpering. His feet begin to move forward slowly and soon enough he is in a full sprint toward the sound of a brand new baby and the dead mother that guard her orphaned infant. He carefully, with shaking hands, reaches out to the child hoping and praying she was healthy and well. When he lifts her to him and looks into her tear filled eyes his chest tightens and his breath is taken from him once again.
"Liz?" Meliodas blurts out in sorrow with a bit of confusion and the baby giggles back at him thinking the name is somewhat funny. "Is that why she's dead, did she die for you to be born?" Meliodas own words sounding a bit harsh to himself, he instantly feels awful for what his cruel words. "She's not dead because of you, it's my own fault. I caused all of this and now I'm going to fix it, but first let's find somewhere safe for you, k?" He smiles mournfully at the baby girl and wraps her in a dry piece of cloth lying nearby. With the girl cradled against him, he begins to leave the city of Danafor. The city he single handedly threw into hell. The baby stirs in his arms and threatens to continue her howling, but before she can manage a whimper Meliodas places his forehead against hers and whispers soothing words to her. "Don't worry Elizabeth, it won't happen again."