Chapter One
Elizabeth leaned back against the pillows, pulling the covers up higher around her. Outside, harsh winds were making the windows rattle, and the rain pattered steadily on the roof. Next to her, the bed had been empty, the covers pulled back with that dent still left in the pillow and mattress. Meliodas' dents. He'd left before she'd woken up, leaving a cold spot where his body warmth should be. He'd been doing that the past few days, and Elizabeth couldn't pinpoint why. But today was different, today a storm was brewing outside and Elizabeth knew, despite her hopes, that he wasn't just downstairs.
She swiped a hand over her forehead to find she was sweating, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The room spun as she sat up, it took at least a minute for her vision to settle. As soon as she made an attempt to stand she was on the floor with splinters in her hands and her cheek pressed against the floorboards.
It was impossible to tell how long she stayed there, her eyes half closed against the cool ground. the room spun. She had known she was sick, she just didn't know how sick. She counted the breaths she took until the door opened. 94.
"Elizabeth." Not who she'd expected, not who she'd wanted. It was Ban, of all people. She was hauled up by her armpits and placed gently on the bed, and the room never stopped swinging around. His face came into view, blurred but out of the darkness. "Hey girl, what's going on? Oh man, you're burning up, I'd better get the captain."
"No." Elizabeth's vision was blurred, spinning, and dark around the edges, but she still managed to snatch his sleeve. "I'll be fine, just…."
The door burst open again. "Hey Elizabeth, there's-" King cut himself off. "Elizabeth? What- Ban?"
"Hey, don't look at me, she was like this when I got here."
"Elizabeth." King crossed the room and knelt down so he was at eye level with the fair haired girl. "Are you sick?" He put his hand to her forehead and recoiled sharply with a hiss. "My god, you're boiling, we should get the captain."
"That's what I said." Ban had turned the other direction, with his nose in the air and his hands locked behind his head. "She said not to."
King turned back to Elizabeth. The world had stopped spinning now, and she was able to prop herself up on one elbow. "Why?" King asked.
"Nobody can know okay? Nobody, not Meliodas, not Diane, nobody. Got it?"
King stared at her. "But… why?"
"Please guys, just do this for me." Elizabeth begged.
King stood straight. "Fine, but what are we supposed to tell them anyway?"
Elizabeth let her eyes wander. "I don't know."
"C'mon princess, give us something." Ban groaned.
"I don't know." Elizabeth tried again to stand, this time almost succeeding, but swaying back and forth on her feet. King rushed to support her. "I don't want them to see me like this."
"Princess." King muttered. "You should stay in bed, everyone's shacked up downstairs so they'll be roaming around."
Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you, King. Just, I guess tell them that I'm still sleeping."
"Got it." Ban waved a hand in the air as he exited the room, and King trailed after him. "Oh, Princess." He said. "There's a strange man at the door asking for you."
Elizabeth looked up, her eyes widening. "Okay, well tell him to come back another time, please."
"Okay." King closed the door softly behind him as he left and Elizabeth threw herself back against the pillows. Who could possibly be at the door for her? A strange man…. Not her father, he wasn't strange to the seven deadly sins. She had only one idea of who it could be and the thought sent ice through her veins, so for the moment, she tried her best to close her eyes and get some sleep.