Something that I brainstormed with. Takes place after the Second Holy War.
"Is this all really necessary?" Elizabeth let out a yelp as she felt two slender hands slap themselves hard onto the sides of her face. Her hands outstretched in front of her were tended to by two other nursemaids, who scrubbed the skin there until they were a unblemished white. And there were also a few others who tended to her legs as well… all while the princess soaked in a bathtub brimming with milk. Yes, milk.
"This is my first time in a milk bath…" The servant who was massaging Elizabeth's scalp, her long silver strands all piled up into a mass of soap suds, gave a small smile. The one who had slapped her cheeks rather forcefully to shut her up spoke. "You are meeting a suitor, Princess! Legend says he's the youngest king to actually… well, become king, but that's not the point! You're supposed to look your darn best, Beth!"
Catherine's mouth was as big as her… Elizabeth was polite enough not to say it. She hadn't even fathomed how Catherine must have gotten a job as a chambermaid—seriously, chambermaid? More like head general in the king's ranks—in the palace. Nevertheless, she and the surly maid had developed a friendship okay enough for Catherine to say her name informally, though Elizabeth thought 'Beth' made her sound significantly old. Then again, 'Elizabeth' already made her sound old.
"I know, but… my heart belongs somewhere else," Elizabeth protested under her breath. Her mind trailed off to a certain roof where the tiles shone golden yellow as the sun bounced off them, a green meadow where bunches of posies were splattered like color on a canvas, and a homey bar with lots of tables and stools. The Boar Hat, and all its memories there… Elizabeth couldn't bear to leave that place even if that king delivered her the biggest, shiniest palace as a marriage dowry.
"Oh come on Beth, we've just got to make you look your best. We're just doing our job." Catherine said plainly in a thick Britannian accent. The other maids in the room held their breaths. Elizabeth smiled. "Yes, I guess so." The breaths were exhaled.
"But I don't get why you have to put in so much effort for some king that I've never met—ow!" Catherine was rubbing her cheeks at double time. "You should really stop hanging out at that poor excuse of a bar; these dirt smudges on your face can't come off."
At this Elizabeth's anger flared. Calmly she wrenched free of the maids' hands and placed her hands over Catherine's to remove them from her face. "Catherine, I won't ever stop hanging out at that 'poor excuse of a bar'. You should know that by now." Ever since she'd returned from her adventure with the Sins she felt stronger, more energized, with this new feel of an air of a princess. She was able to give orders without feeling guilty—reasonable orders, of course—and even her father was surprised at her improvement. Every day he could see her rising like the morning sun, her smile radiant and regal.
And that's how the suitor came about.
"No one could possibly refuse Beth!" Catherine had said to the other maids that morning as they hurried about to prepare the princess' preparation. "She'll make the best queen for miles around!"
Elizabeth hoped so, too. But looking at Catherine's mildly surprised, then sheepish face, a pang of guilt crashed into her this time. Instead she smiled. "It's okay, I'm fine now." Catherine's face immediately lit up with a grin. Even she knew that Elizabeth was just and fair, able to reason things confidently and calmly, and fit to become a real queen. Even though she had the choice whether to accept or decline the offer of really becoming one, Elizabeth just had to keep her fingers crossed on the suitor himself.
.
After three full hours of washing, dressing, dolling up—in which Catherine yelled 'Cut!' and finally let Elizabeth choose her own dress instead of all those tight fitting ones—she stepped out into the hall, ready to descend down the marble steps into the throne room.
Her hands were milky pale, and her face had been restored to its pristine porcelain. She was wearing a white dress that hung just above her ankles, while the neckline was barely modest and the sleeves lightly frilled. It was as comfortable as it was stylish, and Elizabeth found she could walk down the steps with ease in her white heels.
She recognized this dress as the one she had been wearing when she had been gravely injured during the aftermath of Hendrickson's war. The one she had been wearing, naturally, when a certain bar owner had pulled her out of slumber to glimpse his beaming face… that partly being the reason she chose this gown. Okay, that being the entire reason.
Her hair was back to its fine, un-tawny condition (Catherine shrieked when she felt the wet strings of straw that was, indeed, Elizabeth's hair). At the bottom of the steps so happened to be Gilthunder, and when he saw her his blue eyes widened. Elizabeth giggled softly as he lifted his hand in a flourish to escort her down.
"You look stunning, Princess." Elizabeth opened her mouth, this time a light-hearted laugh escaping her lips. "You better not let my sister catch you say that, Gilthunder." The mighty knight blushed, and flashed a small, grateful smile. Elizabeth returned it, her own dazzling.
He escorted her into the throne room. After she had seated herself next to her father, Gilthunder bowed and excused himself. As she watched his pink head retreat Baltra spoke. "Are you ready, my dear?"
No, I'll never be ready, Elizabeth replied in her mind, but it was best to get this done and over with. She knew that whoever it must be would never really share that secret place in her heart that was reserved specially for that one significant other… which, maybe, she had yet to find. But her heart told her, specifically, what she was looking for… bravery, chivalry, looks—especially blonde locks and green eyes. Oh, and did she mention that height was not a problem?
She blushed at the thought. And then the doors opened.
Her mouth dropped open.
He was dressed in civilian clothes, although the material was all the more royal, a satin white cuffed shirt with intricate light-blue patterns along with gray trousers that fit perfectly over his toned figure. His hands were large but not clumsy, and he walked with an air of confidence and grace. When his purple gaze met her blue one, his eyes had the same sort of recognition held in them.
"May I present to you, King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot." His squire announced. Alongside him was Merlin, dressed in her usual clothes, a devious smirk ever present on her face.
"Elizabeth." This was the signal to rise. Elizabeth got up from her seat, placed her hand in her father's and let him lead her down the small stairway. She was standing right in front of Arthur now, and he smelled of an Irish spa. There was no cologne whatsoever, and to Elizabeth that was a plus point—she hated cologne. Come to think about it, Meliodas never wore cologne either… he never had the time to, though.
"Arthur, my youngest daughter, Elizabeth, in which you have met in your previous entrails." Elizabeth wanted to laugh at her father's manner of speech, but held on by biting the inside of her cheek. Arthur glanced up, a polite smile on his face, and swept into a perfect bow, extending his hand. "Your Highness."
This was just basic courtesy. Elizabeth placed her hand in his, and she felt his warm lips linger on the back of it for longer than she expected as he straightened. "And to you, Your Majesty." Her voice came out clear and poised, and you could tell he was pleased.
"And now that we've had the pleasantries…" Merlin stepped in, winking at Elizabeth. "I guess we should leave these two by themselves for a minute. Your Highness, a word please?"
As Baltra left with the Sin and in the process conveniently leaving the both of them in the throne room alone, Elizabeth turned to Arthur. "You!" She sounded so shocked, but she realized she should've caught the hints by then: youngest to become king in an entire century, brave, good-looking—she'd never suspected Arthur in the least.
"You!" Arthur exclaimed back, and there was no mistaking the surprise in his tone that he, too, hadn't known it would be her. "I thought there were a ton of other princesses in Liones, but… you!"
They had indeed met. When Arthur fought alongside Meliodas against Hendrickson, Elizabeth had silently thanked him in her heart for protecting Meliodas. And now he was finally here, she could say it to him personally. But not now, not yet. There was still this… marriage thing to take care of.
"You!" She said again and suddenly laughter took over her and she dissolved in a fit of giggles. She heard him laugh too, and there they were, in the middle of a throne room by themselves laughing their hearts out for all they were worth. When finally both of them were able to calm their hiccups Arthur spoke. "So… what do you want to do now?"
Elizabeth laughed again. "I don't know, whatever you do on a marriage meeting… you'd be more experienced than me, wouldn't you?"
"To be honest it's my first time as well." Arthur scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Elizabeth saw his wild orange hair sprout up like a carrot. "Most of the time it's the princesses coming to the palace, since I'm king after all… but coming to Liones isn't that bad of a change."
Elizabeth nodded. A comfortable silence descended upon them. Then she said, "Why not we go visit the Boar Hat?"
His eyes lit up, which made her laugh. "I've always wanted to go there!" He cried, and instantly she felt like his voice sounded a tad bit like Meliodas'. It made her homesick, and she grabbed Arthur's hand. "Then without further ado, let's go."
.
The journey there was easy enough. Elizabeth knew where the Sins were situated, preparing for their big luck-out on the kingdom's foundation day festival tomorrow, and she had been going there to witness their progress. But going there with company now was different. It took much longer to get there than when Elizabeth was by herself, and they had so many things to talk about on the road. Arthur's shoes made a smart click-clack on the pavement (though not as smart as Meliodas') and a crunchy noise on the gravel, and his purple eyes always lit up with a twinkle whenever she mentioned something he could relate to. Mainly they talked about royalty problems, personal information, and maybe a slight hint of Meliodas here and there. Talking to someone who was just as infatuated with the captain as she was made Elizabeth feel slightly unnerved, but fun.
They'd arrived at the front of it. Arthur placed a hand childishly over his eyes to look at the view. "It's just like how I imagined it firsthand!" he exclaimed, and Elizabeth grinned—a full on Meliodas grin. Arthur was younger than her, her birthday in June while his in August, but he was taller, definitely. He was charming, too, and playful with a hint of charisma, but Meliodas had loads of charisma, and he always went for the 'aloof with a splash of charm'.
She'd caught a glimpse of two blonde strands peeking over the side of the bar. "He's over there, come on," and she grabbed his hand again, and loved the security she felt when she did. But it was more like she providing the security over him, like he was a little kid that had to be watched over… but he was in reality a king feared by many and loved by thousands. Elizabeth found this intimidating.
"Lord Meliodas!" she called and her heart leapt when his green eyes turned to look up at her. He had been squatting with his back to her. "Elizabeth." His eyes passed over her figure and his eyes showed mild surprise, and Elizabeth was already satisfied with only that. At least she knew he did acknowledge her outfit.
"Why didn't you come last few days?" he asked, getting up from where he was on the ground, brushing his hands together. She noticed they were red and raw, and when her eyes averted to the ground she saw that he had been pulling weeds. ("Hawk Mama says they make her itch," King had told her once. "Like fleas, but only on pigs.")
"I had to prepare to meet a suitor," she said in a surprisingly calm tone, loving how her voice came out melodiously, like she had nothing to fear, but she had loads to fear. Now standing in the midst of the man she had always had a soft spot for, she couldn't tell him straight out that she had a suitor coming for her, let alone the suitor being Arthur… because she hoped that a tiny bit of her was appealing to the captain as well.
"Oh?" He blinked once, and then turned to the weeds on the ground. "That's nice." He had switched to his aloof mode again.
"We're here to see you right now," she said and sidestepped to reveal an ecstatic Arthur. "Sir Meliodas!" The said person was surprised when he saw the wild, young king bound up to him like a puppy. "It's a pleasure to see you again!"
"Same… to you." Meliodas replied unsurely, while his gaze averted back to Elizabeth and gave her a questioning look.
This gave her hope. This was the thing that started that flame in her heart. If she had no idea what she'd do if Meliodas saw her with another guy two hours ago, well, she knew now. Elizabeth pulled Arthur aside and whispered to him.
"Pretend to be my fiancé for a second."
The shock in Arthur's eyes was very real. "Why?" and his eyebrows narrowed down, not unfriendly-like. Elizabeth tugged on his sleeve. "I'll help with anything you need help with. I'll do anything if you comply with me."
Her queen-speak worked. Arthur nodded and they turned back to the bewildered Sin of Wrath. "Arthur's a really nice guy, really; we've so much in common!" That was true: their infatuation with the bar owner was on par.
"Elizabeth's not too bad too, she's a real catch!" At this Elizabeth really blushed. Then Arthur's slung his arm around her shoulder and instinctively she pushed him with her hands on his chest. "What are you talking about?"
Meliodas hadn't said anything, only staring at the two like they were crazy. "So when's the wedding?" he cocked his head to one side, no one noticing his clenched fists at his sides.
Arthur opened his mouth, but from what little she knew he could go way overboard than what she intended, so she hastily said, "Oh, we're not planning a wedding yet, no!"
"…though I just might start to," Arthur finished. Elizabeth beamed; this was the straw, this was the thing that would garner at least one reaction from Meliodas…
"Well, that's good to know," Meliodas stated, though his ever-present grin was gone from his face. "Congratulations, you two." Then he flashed a smile over his shoulder before going back to his weeds.
Arthur placed a hand on the bewildered Elizabeth's shoulder and pulled her back. "Thanks, and thank you for your time, Sir Meliodas!" and he wheeled her away.
.
"What was that about?" he asked as soon as he found them a seat near the afternoon market. In her hands was a snow cone, one of her favorite treats as a kid when she felt down… and boy, was she feeling down now.
"I just hoped to get a reaction from him…" She made space for Arthur beside her, staring blankly into the colors fading in and out of the light shining on her cone. "A smile, or a storm, anything. Not that aloofness…"
"Who are you talking about?" Arthur said, and his eyes widened in realization. "You mean Lord Meliodas?"
She nodded slowly. Arthur began to put the pieces together and when he got it he turned to her.
"You… you like Lord Meliodas… right?"
After a pause, she nodded. She didn't look at Arthur, and was instead focused on finishing her snow cone. She felt his weight lean into the bench behind her.
"I… didn't know," he said, and she felt his shoulder brush against hers in a comforting sort of way. "I would have tried to help in the least…"
She was about to reply when an audible gasp was heard. They both turned to the source, which had vanished in thin air.
She turned back to him. "I didn't expect you to know," she smiled to show him she was okay, "and I don't expect you to help either. It's alright. Now enough about me, is there something you'd like me to do for you?"
She knew Arthur couldn't really get out of the feel that he had failed her, but it was as if a light bulb lighted up above his head when he did think about it. "There's someone I'd like to find, whether in my kingdom or yours…" he trailed off, and his eyes instantly became sad. Elizabeth silently urged him to continue.
"We used to be playmates when we were young," Arthur spoke like he was somewhere far away. "Her name is Gwen. Kay's infatuated with her."
Elizabeth stared at him for a while. "What was she like?" she asked.
And Arthur immediately went on a rant. "She has these long chocolate waves—a light shade, light like caramel—and these sea blue eyes. Bright, like a tiger's. She used to plait her hair into one long braid and make us put ribbons in it—not like I didn't enjoy it—and she made us call her 'Briar Rose' from a book or something. I don't know if she still ties plaits or makes others call her Briar Rose but she has this one cloak that she wears anywhere she goes: it's navy blue and has an emblem I don't recognize. I'm convinced she wears it to sleep." The last statement he muttered low under his breath as if she was right there with them, and he didn't want her to hear. Elizabeth laughed.
"You like her, don't you?" Arthur looked up, the faintest of blushes already foreshadowing his young face before he looked away and nodded.
"I'll help you." Purple met blue as Elizabeth determinedly grinned. "I'll send search parties out—or even hold a ball. No one needs to know the Crown Prince is actually Veronica."
Arthur chuckled, his doubts washing away easily as they'd come. "You're right," he considered, "maybe I should hold a ball… but I'm more focused on glorifying Camelot first."
Elizabeth turned to look at him, this boy with the wild orange hair and cheerful purple gaze, and wondered how he'd gotten so far to become a king. Then she thought, if I ever become queen I'm going to use Arthur as a role model.
That fact she would not say out loud yet, though. He'd laugh at her for days.
.
When they got back for a feisty dinner and she bid him goodnight on one of the palace's many balconies, he laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" he asked.
"You bet," and she disappeared back into the winding hallways. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm. It was a hand she recognized, the grip firm yet soft. She turned to see her father the king, who ushered her into his chambers. "I have something to speak with you about."
Elizabeth always enjoyed the atmosphere in her father's chambers. They reminded her of the days when she and her sisters would jump up and down on his fluffy bed and all collapse in a heap in his outstretched arms.
"I won't be long," promised her father. "I know you don't want to marry King Arthur."
Elizabeth drew back, shocked. "How… how did you…?"
"Merlin told me. She seems to be very convinced that Arthur is, indeed, not your type." Elizabeth had a hunch that Merlin indeed knew what her type was and silently thanked her in her head for not telling her father—he might have freaked out and have a heart attack. "However, she has asked for my permission to take you in as her apprentice as to learning the arts of the druid, seeing as you are the acclaimed Apostle of the Goddesses." Her father smiled at her, proud of how brave his daughter had been during the Holy War. "She will teach you healing methods as well as mortal combat, and I'm here to ask you—"
"—will I go? Yes!" Elizabeth was ecstatic. Getting to learn to do something when she was useless, so she could finally be useful in the upcoming battles of the kingdom! And, for a plus point, she'd be able to see Arthur more often, and she had a feeling they'd be fast friends soon.
"Although," Baltra stopped her with a broad hand, "The Boar's Sin, Merlin will not be available tomorrow, or the days after. She is embarking on a journey along with the Seven Deadly Sins to vanquish the Coffin of Eternal Darkness once and for all. And you—" and he looked her very sternly in the eye at this "you will not be going along with them. So your lessons will have to wait."
Elizabeth sighed. "Why can't I just learn along with her as the journey goes?" As if all they were going to do was go seek out some demonic coffin and destroy it forever. Yes, that was all there was to it.
"It is a dangerous and perilous mission in which even the captain Sir Meliodas is worried for you, Elizabeth," the king reasoned. "He has taken it upon himself that he will not let any harm come to you whether in Liones or out of bounds."
Elizabeth was touched by this kindness; was this the reason he'd been acting so aloof this afternoon? If it was, it didn't make sense. At all.
"They'll be leaving tomorrow, and King Arthur shall be returning to his own kingdom too." Baltra ruffled her hair. "And that is all I have to say. Anything you'd like to speak to me about?"
Elizabeth thought for a while, on all the things that happened today, and shook her head. "No, thank you. Goodnight, Father."
"And goodnight, Elizabeth." He kissed her on the forehead before she found herself out in the dimly lit corridor again. Taking one last look at the door shut behind her, she took off to her room.
So maybe a few things aren't how they are in the anime/manga as in this fic; everything is almost fanon here. Timeline is a day before the kingdom foundation day if you're confused. Next chapter coming quickly!
-Mint-chan.
