Wow, 100+ views in the first day. I am truly humbled and honored you guys. It is really great that so many of you can read my story.

As usual I do like to point out a few writers for you to look out for and i would like to take the time to do that now.

Writer of Destiny and my personal inspiration; you should definitely take some time out of your day to look up Fanficlove2014, they are a great writer and a terrific person! It is worth your time to read any of the three stories they have published.

writer of 'Til Death Do We Part. and another super awesome person in general; ShadowTheCannibal is another writer you guys should keep your eyes peeled for. Though their story is ending soon and i am really sad about it and must find a way to carry on T.T

Writer of Darkness and Light; Melizabeth, someone who i have not gained the confidence to contact directly yet but is seriously and excellent writer. Please take a bit of time out of your day to look up the writer WhiteAngelFeathers.

They are all three really great writers and deserve a bit of apreciation so I decided to do it here n.n

Now as far as this chapter goes, i do hope you enjoy it but I am so nervous posting this that i feel sick.

Literally.

Wither its bad or good it is early in the week for me to post so here goes nothing...

Time passed by at a slow crawl as she sat shivering outside of the Tavern, her lips quivered as she watched people slowly trickling out of the doorway to her left with no sign of the two Knights that she was currently hiding from. They had to have been in there for at least an hour or more and she was beginning to worry that they were simply waiting to see if she entered the establishment; what if they knew that she had slipped out and were really just there to bring her home? She had to get out of there if that was the case because surely her father would simply give her a larger guard and force her to remain in her chambers until the very moment that she was due to walk down the isle.

She risked a glance inside through the grimy window and spotted the two passed out on the bar automatically. Besides the Knights and the strange pink pig who was busily cleaning up spills around the room she did not see another soul, it was a strange sight to her that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She placed her hand against the cold glass and squinted as she turned her head to see into the rest of the room, it was in fact void of any other customer. She did not even see anyone there who would be serving the two passed out Knights who seemed to be nowhere near waking up. She leaned away from the glass as her bottom lip found its way between her teeth as she worried it between them while thinking over her next move. There were still at least three hours until she would be able to get back into the castle and the night air was growing colder by the minute. With no one inside to help her at the Tavern she would have to find somewhere else to wait out the night without freezing to death, however she had no idea of where to even start looking.

"Are you hungry? You've been hanging out her for a while." She jumped and let out a soft frightened gasp as the soft voice called out to her from the darkness. As she turned to her right she saw him emerge from the side of the building, blonde tresses practically glowing in the moonlight as large shockingly bright green eyes looked down at where she crouched by the window. He was in simple clothes, a white button up and a matching pair of pants that reached a few inches above simple black boots that he did not seem to want to completely buckle up his legs. The whole ensemble was topped with a black vest that seemed to be much too large for his small frame. He flashed her a bright smile as her eyes found their way to his face and offered her one hand that he had decided to pull out of the pants pocket that they had both been tucked into.

"I-I'm sorry." She mumbled as she looked back down at his feet. She did not notice his slight head tilt and worried brow furrow that her action caused him to preform. He squatted down next to her and rested one hand on her cloak covered head in the best form of comfort that he could offer this cold seemingly poor girl.

"Hey, why don't you come in, I can give you a warm room and a nice hot drink to get this cold out of your bones." He stated with a smile as she lifted her head to look up at him once again. Her bright blue eyes nearly caused his hearts to stop as they locked onto his own emerald hues, he knew in that moment who he was sharing a stare with and could feel his pulse quicken at the thought. What was she doing outside of the castle? Did Bartra know? Was she running away or was she there with the two young knights that could not hold the Bernia ale that he had slipped into their mugs after the second round when the conversation was not giving him the information he wanted? Those questions bounced around his mind as he watched her slowly extend her hand to accept the one he still held out in offering to her. He moved the one resting on her head then and gave her another gentle smile that she returned shyly as their hands met and her fingers cooled the skin of his palm.

He pulled her up to stand and nearly gawked at her height, she was almost as tall as Liz had been back when she was alive and from what he could tell she still sported those buxom curves that he had always loved groping on the red head who had been her last vessel. She noticed him looking her over and shyly shifted from foot to foot as her eyes fell to the ground between them. He studied her bright pink cheeks and nervous fidgeting with a small smirk before giving her hand a gentle squeeze. A soft "eep" escaped her which caused him to wonder what other sounds he could bring out of her.

Pull it together, she doesn't know you yet!

"Hey why don't we go in around back and I will let you get some rest in one of the rooms," he released her hand and shoved his own in his pockets before turning to walk around the side of the building. He couldn't help the wide smile that spread across his face as he thought over the situation, here he was planning on breaking into the castle and taking her back by force but she simply found her way to him as if she had the same plan all along.

"U-um!" He turned his head to glance at her as they neared the back door. She was nervously hopping from foot to foot and glancing all around them as she clutched the cloak tighter to herself. Her bright blue eyes landed in the door to the store room for only a moment before she looked down at her feet and then out at the landscape beyond where they stood, "I-I can't go in there, it's too much for me to ask of you."

"Hey, don't worry about it." She jumped at his words, most of her life was spent with people even in her own family dismissing her fearful words outright but this boy was genuinely telling her that it was okay to have them without even realizing what he was doing. He did not say 'that's silly' or 'nonsense' like everyone else had, he just asked her not to worry about them without hesitation. He was even smiling kindly at her as he stood there awaiting her decision. Such a kindness from a stranger was almost too much to bare.

But she couldn't risk being caught by Gil and Howzer.

"Please understand, there are two men in there that will take me away as soon as they see me." She mumbled these words, afraid of what he would think of her even as they clumsily tumbled from her lips.

"Oh? Well we can't have that. You can wait in the storage room though it smells like alcohol." He stared as he opened the door for her and gave her a little motion with his free hand that told her to enter the opening. She gave him a worried smile before stepping inside. He was close behind her and held one finger to his lips as he slid between a large barrel of mead and her frame; she watched as he cheerfully strides through the door on the other side of the room and carefully sat on top of a smaller barrel on the ground. The room wasn't much warmer than outside but it did give her a sense of relief as she became accustom to its temperature. Soft voices echoed back to her through the closed door and they did not seem to be angry or threatening in any way. Her rapidly beating heart slowed a bit as she listened and she leaned her head against yet another barrel as she listened to the wordless sounds that reached her ears.

Her eyes and limbs began to feel heavier and heavier as she sat there waiting for the strange blonde to return. The room did smell like alcohol and it was a bit overpowering when she had first entered it but slowly the smell did not effect her as much and she found herself relaxing into the slightly damp wood at her back. Her body had returned to a temperature closer to its usual warmth and it was not helping he stay awake at all. Surely it would be rude to fall asleep in a place like this, then again he seemed to know she had been out there in the cold for a while and surely he would understand if she just rested her eyes for a bit. It had been a long day and a longer night for her after all.

Her eyelids dropped as she sat there simmering in her own thoughts. Of course he wouldn't be mad at her, he was such a kind soul to bring her in out of the could without even asking her name beforehand. Her lashes brushed the tops of her cheeks as her head hung forward, it wasn't as if he was rushing getting those two out so she had plenty of time to rest her eyes for a bit before he came to get her. It was not going as well as she planned anyway, the whole night had been one fluke after another and she could feel her body fighting against her mind to just get some sleep. Giving in to those urges would be easy, it would feel good to get at least a few precious moments of rest before she headed back home and she would need it for the following day when Arthur was due to appear before her father. She crossed her arms under her chest to warm them as her knees slid up to adjust her position into a more comfortable one. Her eyelids were completely closed now as she allowed a soft sigh to escape her lips, a puff of steam signaling the warm air leaving her body through her slightly parted lips.

Meliodas smiled and chuckled as he waved off the two inebriated Knights. He had only planned on pulling a harmless prank on the one he had once mentored but he did not expect both of them to be such lightweights and that had postponed his catching up with Elizabeth. It irked him but only slightly now that he knew she was safe and sound in his storage room, and neither of the two seemed to be looking for her or waiting for her so he knew that at least for the night he had time that he could spend with her. The movement of the rather large pink pig at his side caused him to cast his gaze down at it; the pig, Hawk, his friend since he had woken up in that odd cave ten years before, snorted at the retreating backs of the Knights and puffed out his chest as much as a pig could and pointed his nose up into the air.

"BUNCH of lightweights, even I could drink more than they can without passing out. They got drool all over the bar. Disgusting." The sound of his snort that followed caused Meliodas to chuckle softly as he turned and allowed the door to close slowly on its own, blocking the two off from the rest of the world effectively.

"You should probably go to bed Hawk." He stated as he ran one hand through his bright golden tresses, "we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow and I don't want you sleeping on the job." Hawk huffed at the blondes words as he strode past him with his snout held high in the air, the pig was clearly annoyed by the bar owners suggestion and showed it in his overconfident actions.

"You should be getting to bed to, I gotta go check the stock before turning in for the night." He huffed once again before trotting towards the kitchen door. Meliodas chuckled softly as he turned and locked the green painted front door of the Tavern. He felt lighter now that he knew where she was and that she was safe, it was as if a large weight that he had been carrying around for ten years had been lifted off of his shoulders and the feeling was something that he was thankful for.

"There's a dead girl in the storage room!" Hawks shocked and terrified voice brought all the worthy tumbling back into his heart. He rushed through the taverns main room and kitchen, past the shaking pig, and into the storage room where he found her laying out across a few barrels with her eyes closed and her knees pulled up to her chest. His mark flared, but only for an instant before his eyes caught the slightest movement of her breast as she breathed slowly and evenly in her sleep. He felt himself return to normal but the weight still remained there as if to remind him of how delicate his situation really was. He let out a tired sigh as the day finally began to catch up with him, his dear Elizabeth did make sleep look so very enticing, even while she was draped over those very uncomfortable looking barrels. Surely she could have found somewhere else a bit softer to sleep.

He smiled at the thought of his bed waiting upstairs, empty and big with soft pillows and a nice warm blanket just begging to be slept in. She would be much more comfortable there. He hummed merrily to himself as he slid his hands behind her back and under her knees before lifting her up just as easily as he had when she was a small child and wanted piggyback rides from him. His own pig companion stared at him in shock as he held her to his chest and began to stride through the room towards the kitchen that lead into the rest of the building.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? This is a crime scene!" He felt Hawks head butt against the back of his calf and simply shrugged off the pigs attack with a gentle smile.

"You dummy, she's just asleep. I'm taking her upstairs so she can rest alright?" The blonde chuckled out as he stepped into the kitchen. She felt warmer than she had outside which was a very good sign but he did need to make sure her body temperature returned to normal. The cloak, though designed to hold in body heat, only seemed thick to the eye. The fabric under his fingers felt thin and easily rip able which led him to believe that it had to be one taken from a wardrobe designed for someone who would not require protection from the cold like most; someone like a princess. So she had gathered her outfit from her own wardrobe; she must not have been planning her escape for very long, which meant that she was going to go through with the wedding that Bartra had set up for her and only wanted a taste of freedom before hand. His grip tightened on her slightly at the thought as he made his way through the kitchen door and past the bar. He couldn't let her marry that little boy king and live through her life without even the slightest thought of him. She was his forever, as she had promised 3000 years before.

He smiled as he kicked open his bedroom door and strode over to the queen sized bed that sat in the center of the room. He laid her on one side of the bed and pulled the blankets back on the other before moving her to it and gently tucking her into them so she would remain warm. He sat down near her knees on the edge of the bed and rested one hand on her thigh as he studied her sleeping face carefully. She was so peaceful and serene as she lay there that he could almost get lost in it.

"Who is she?" Hawk had strode into the room and was eyeing the two of them with curiosity lit eyes. Meliodas looked over his shoulder at the pig and gave it a bright and playful smile.

"Just someone I knew in an old life." He stated as he hopped up from the bed and tucked his hands into his pockets, "do you mind making her a hot water bottle? She was out in the cold for quite a while there." He gave the pig a gentle shove out of the door with his booted foot as he spoke, Hawk did not take to kindly to this action as he turned and stuck his snout in the air proudly.

"You know I can beat your ass if I wanted, I am just too kind hearted to let a poor girl suffer." He snorted through his snout as he spoke before turning and trotting off down the stairs. Meliodas raised and eyebrow at the pink pigs retreating rump before releasing one of his hands from its pocket to grasp the door handle. He urged the door closed as slowly as he could so the sound would not disturb the sleeping princess before returning to his place beside her on the bed. It had been ten years since he had seen her last and she had grown into quite the young lady in that time. Her figure resembled Liz more than he thought it would and yet she barely looked like the woman he once knew, her hair was much longer, tough now it was tightly braided around her head and slightly covered by the shawl that had slipped partway off during her adjustment to her position on the barrels. Her face was youthful, but of course it would be with her age, and her lips were a bit more pouted than Lizs were. Just by looking at her he could tell that this was not the face of a worrier. No, in this life his love had been carefully sheltered against the woes of the world to the point that even her bright blue eyes still held onto the innocence of a child when they had spoken outside barely thirty minutes before.

"You are such a weirdo, staring at a sleeping girl like that. Pervert." He chuckled as he turned to see Hawk in the doorway once again with a steaming leather sack of water on his back. The two of them moved to place the bag on her forehead and he got to work removing her damp cloak and shawl while the pig removed her shoes. She had dressed very simply, but her clothes still looked like something he remembered seeing around the castle back when he served under the king. The dress was a deep blue color with silver stitching over the right breast that formed the symbol for the kingdom of Lioness. She had gotten her hands on a servants uniform somehow and had used it to slip out of the castle unnoticed.

"What is she? A servant or something?" Hawk asked as he rested his front legs on the bed near her face.

"No dummy, she's one of the three princesses. The youngest one." Meliodas stated matter of factly. The pig squealed out then causing him to cover its mouth with his hand. There was a small struggle then which led the two to the other side of the room, away from the sleeping princess who was undisturbed by the noise that they made during it.

"What the hell! You mean to tell me we are harboring a princess of the kingdom? What do you think they'll do to us when they find out? Oh my rump will be roast." Hawk exclaimed as he finally wiggles his mouth out of the blondes grasp. Meliodas sighed as the pink beast kicked off of him to land a few feet away and dusted his shirt off as it turned to glare at him angrily.

"I guess we'll find out when the sun comes up. They will start looking for her then right?" He asked in an innocent voice as he watched the stressed out animal trotting in a pacing manner across the floor.

"How can you be so laid back about this?! The king will have our heads for this don't you get that?! Oh we gotta get out of here." Hawk was wearing a line in the wood of his bedroom floor which caused him to frown as he thought of how much it would cost him to replace the boards that he was pacing over.

"Can't you just relax for a second Hawk? If we run then we will be guilty of kidnapping a princess and put to death, but it isn't really the case because all we are doing is rescuing her from the cold. Giving her a safe place to sleep as well, you see we aren't going to be punished just for helping her out now are we?" He asked as he stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. Kidnapping was something that he had worked into his plans if his little chat with Bartra had not given him what he wanted but as it was currently he was just helping her out from dying of hyperthermia or worse. No one could blame a Tavern owner for letting a cold girl get some rest in a warm room and the king himself would have to hear him out after she told her side of the story when she woke up right?

"The sun is going to come up soon though and if they find her sleeping up here then they may not ask questions before taking us and putting us in the pig pen." Hawk wined.

"Pig pen?" Meliodas cocked his head to one side as he asked the question.

"Er, dungeon." Hawk corrected himself quickly as he trodden over to look out of the window of the bedroom, "its weird they haven't kept a better eye out on her, isn't she the one who is getting married soon after all?" He asked as he studied the dark outline of the capital that stretched out over the horizon.

"I am pretty sure this is the first time she's ever done something like this. With no past excursions to make them wary she wouldn't have to have eyes on her all the time." Meliodas was thinking out loud more than talking to the pig; it was true there was those two incidents when he was still a holy knight that would have caused them to guard her more carefully than before, but it had been so long that they must have all forgotten them and allowed her to move about freely on her own.

"Wouldn't that fact make us more suspicious though?" The nervous pile of pork squealed as it turned to look at the blonde who was casually rolling from his heels to his toes near the slumbering princess. His face was draped in a soft smile and his eyes were closed slightly as they once again studied her face. "Hey don't you be getting any ideas creep." Hawk whisper shouted as he rushed to knock his body into the blondes chest.

The commotion that the two males were making shook her from her sweet dreams of floating pillows and piggyback rides. She let out a soft groan as she rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly in the bed. Her bright blue eyes were half lidded as she looked around the blurry sight before her, she yawned as she rubbed first her right eye then her left. The scene before her cleared, causing her sleep riddled mind to wonder if she had really awoken or not. Before her was a small blonde man with a pig on his back gabbing his hair in his bright pink mouth while the blonde pulled down the pigs ears until its beady eyes were pulled down as well with the stress that the blondes actions put on the pigs flesh. There was a long moment where the three simply stared at each other in utter confusion without uttering a word. All the while Elizabeth was slowly remembering exactly what had happened before she succumbed to sleep.

"U-um, excuse me but wh-where am I?" She stuttered softly as she hid her face behind the blankets. Her shoes and cloak were missing but she soon discovered that she still had on the uniform she had worn to the Tavern. A soft sigh of relief left her lips as she discovered this.

"The Boar Hat." The blonde stared plainly as he met her gaze. She felt her face warm at his stare and his up to her nose behind the thick cloth of the blanket.

"You fell asleep in the store room so we brought you up here to rest up a bit." The pink pig on his back explained. She gasped loudly as her eyes widened at the sight. She leapt from the bed as he knocked the pig off of him and wrapped its bright pink body in a warm hug.

"Oh it's a talking piggy! I always wanted one just like this, I even asked father to get me one for my birthday!" She exclaimed happily as she nuzzled the side of the pigs cheek with her own. The beast did not resist and even smiled brightly at the blonde who was left standing by himself with his fists in his pockets.

"So how'd you like having a pet pig?" The blonde asked with a lighthearted smile as he watched her petting Hawk happily. Suddenly her happiness seemed to be washed away as she lowered her head and allowed her hands to fall from Hawks sides.

"I didn't get one." She mumbled softly as she looked away from the two of them. She did not notice Meliodas' face drop into a hard frown as her words reached his ears. He couldn't believe that the man he had left her in the care of would deny her anything at all, he certainly had the means and money to get her one lousy pig did he not? He met Hawks eyes and flashed the pig one of his phony smiles that did not effect his old friend in the least. Hawk huffed and nudged her with his nose after this to get the princesses attention.

"Hey don't worry about it. I am one of a kind after all." He stared proudly as she smiled down at him.

"Of course you are." Her breathy voice reached their ears as she scratched the spot right at the top of the pigs head lightly, "I certainly have never seen such an amazing animal before in my life."

"Yeah I am pretty amazing." Hawk stated before proudly snorting and puffing his chest out.

"And so HUMBLE." Meliodas put emphasis on his last word by punching the pig on the top of its head. It squealed as its chin hit the floor leaving a sizable dent and turned to glare at him shortly after.

"You are lucky I don't just kick your ass for that." The pig stomped on good as he stared the words confidently but the blonde simply sighed and shrugged his shoulders as if this was a usual thing for his companion to do. She smiled as she watched their interaction, they seemed so close that it reminded her of Gilthunder and Griamore sparring in the gardens of the castle. Her eyes widened at the thought and she whipped her head around to look at the faintest dawn light coming in from the window. She had to hurry and find her way back home before they discovered she wasn't in her chambers. Veronica would be in her room shortly after the sun was visible in the sky and she couldn't let her sister find an empty bed waiting for her.

"I-I need to go." She stammered as she scrambled to her feet and rushed towards the door, "t-thank you for everything but I really have to be back home before anyone wakes up. I'm sorry! Thank you!" She rushed through the Tavern as she spoke with the two of them close at her heels. When she reached the front door and found it locked she turned quickly only to accidentally smash his face into her chest. She let out a loud "eek" as his hands found their way to her rump and squeezed. Her face turned a dark shade of red as his face tilted up and his emerald green eyes locked onto her deep blue ones. They had something behind their green hues, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on as she stared down into them.

"Let her go you pervert!" Hawk exclaimed as he shoved past them and slid the lock open with his front hoof, "you can go anytime you want." He stated as he nudged Meliodas away from her and stood between them. She gave the pig a gentle smile before looking up to the blonde who gave her a half smirk as his eyes slid from her waist to her face. He gave her a small wave and she felt her face grow even warmer as she turned and rushed out of the building. They stood in the doorway watching her disappear into the fog that had settled over the valley during the earlier hours. Meliodas let out a soft sigh and leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest as her dark silhouette blended in to the shadows of the wall before him.

"Where is she?" Elizabeth gasped and pressed her back against the wall as Hendricksons voice reached her ears. He was stressed out and angry and it showed well in the three words that he snapped out as he strode down the hallway followed by two other sets of feet. She slid into the alcove nearest to her and turned her head away from the hall as their footsteps grew closer and closer and looked back towards the hall as the footsteps began to fade away into the distance. He had been walking with Helbrem and Guila, a new Holy knight who she had seen around the castle lately that caused her to shiver with fear whenever her nearly closed eyes fell on the princesses face.

"We have begun searching the village but there is really no telling how long the princess has been gone. There are rumors about a possible kidnapping plot, however Gilthunder has sworn to find the culprits before they can lay their hands on her." It was Guila who replied to him causing Elizabeth to hold her hand over her mouth as the urge to gasp overtook her. Where there really people who would kidnap her, and why would they do that? She slipped from her hiding spot and rushed down the hallway going the other direction from the Holy Knights, she had to find her father and let him know she was okay but it had to be her that told him the news. If the Knights brought her in to him then he would not listen to anything she had to say.

She rounded the corner that would lead to the servants entrance and ducked her head as she ran her fingers over the wall to keep her balance. There were many maids and servants that passed by her without a second glance as she stumbled her way through them towards her door. There was no resistance to her entering the room that was empty and unkempt. She could see that someone had been through her things looking for some evidence as to where she had been. Clearly she was far too late in getting home than she had expected and her sisters had discovered her missing. She rushed to throw off her servants garb and searched through the piles of calisthenics around her room to find her bright yellow gown that held the thick white ribbon along its waist and two puffy shoulder length sleeves that held a strap of lace around the center of them. She slipped it on and hurriedly tied the ribbon above her rump as she scanned the room for a pair of shoes. Running out of the Tavern without thinking had left her shoeless and her stockings in tatters from the cobbled streets. She had no time to search for fresh stockings as she threw on the first pair of matching shoes she found. Her hair was unbranded and a comb was ran through it quickly before she ran from the room and down the main hall towards her fathers quarters.

He was there, in the study adjacent to his bedroom, looking over maps of the kingdom while Margaret gently patted a teary eyed Veronica on the shoulder. The room was eerily quiet as she stepped into it, her soft footsteps causing a faint tapping echo to run through the room. It was Veronica who looked up first, her bright golden brown eyes widened as she took in the sight of her younger sister standing in the doorway wearing a shy and nervous smile.

"E-Ellie?" She asked in a soft whisper.

"Why is everyone so scared around here this morning?" She returned her older sisters whispered question with a nervously whispered one of her own.

"We thought someone had kidnapped you." Margaret was straight to the point as she looked into her sisters eyes with a mask of sadness clearly shown in her own. Elizabeth felt her heart swell with love for her sisters who she ran to and wrapped in a warm hug that they easily returned, causing the three girls to fall to their knees on the ground as they embraced one another. They let out a collective shocked squeal as their father rushed over to lift all three of them up in a warm bear hug that caused his long beard to tickle her neck and cheek.

"Oh, my girls are all safe and sound." He stared through tear filled eyes and a large smile that caused his facial hair to shift around his cheeks. She turned enough to wrap her arms around his neck and squeeze him gently.

"I was just in the gardens enjoying the sunrise father." She stated as she wiped the tears that were still in the corner of his eye and smiled gently at him, "please promise me that you will stop worrying so much about me, I am a lady now and not a senseless little girl anymore." She urged as she pulled away to look into his face.

"Of course I can't stop worrying about you sweetie, you're my daughter after all. It is my job as your father to always worry about you." He stated as he placed them on the ground and patted her gently on the head before turning to see Hendrickson standing in the doorway with a shocked expression painted across his face. She could feel the tension grow between the two men as the Knights eyes shifted from her face to her fathers and back again.

"Shall I call back the search party your highness?" He asked flatly as his bright blue eyes narrowed down at her. She felt as if he were taking her apart with his mind, as if he could see her every thought and memory. She stepped behind her father to hide from his stare as her hands gripped the mans cloak. She peaked out from behind it cautiously to see the Holy Knight Grandmaster nodding to her father with nothing but seriousness in his eyes. She furrowed her brow as she realized that her father had been talking to the other man the whole time and she had not listened to a word that he was saying. She tried to focus but by the time she had realized that he was talking he was at the end of his of his orders.

"Father I think that we should take Ellie and get her ready before his majesty King Arthur arrives for the pre ceremony meetings." Margaret placed her hands on her sisters shoulders as she spoke causing Elizabeth to jump and let loose a short scared noise at the contact. Her father and the Holy Knight Grandmaster both looked curiously at her as she hid her face behind her head in utter embarrassment.

"Oh you know Ellie father, she's always been so shy." It was Veronica who came to her rescue as she joined their eldest sister at her side, "come on, I'll join you two and we can take a stroll like we use to do when we were little, maybe go by some of Ellie's favorite shops and get sweets for tea time." She smiled through her hands, knowing her elder sister was only trying to help her get out of an awkward situation. However there was a way that she could gain even more from what her sisters were offering. It was a long shot but-

"Why don't we have lunch in the village, just the three of us for old times sake?" She asked in a nervous squeak as She removed her hands to look down at the floor between their feet. He two sisters looked between themselves momentarily before smiling at her kindly.

"That's a grand idea Elizabeth, we can have a nice little lunch with food we pick up at the shops and then we can meet father back here in the grand hall to welcome Arthur to Lioness." Margaret stated as she draped one arm overElizabeths shoulders and began to lead her out of the room. Each of the three girls gave their father a goodbye kiss on the cheek as they passed him and the oldest two gave the Grandmaster a gentle nod while the youngest of the three simply stared at her feet as they traveled in a small group towards her bedchambers. She was faintly aware of Veronica saying that she should change into something that did not appear to have been slept in and smiled a bit at the irony, if only she knew that the dress she had slept in lay folded neatly at the head of her bed, shoved between the two mattresses aggressively in her rush to get changed earlier that very morning.

Barely three hours later they were making their way through the town that surrounded the castle with lighthearted steps and a basket apiece to bring home any trinkets that might catch their eye during their outing. Elizabeth was scrubbed and rinsed thoroughly and changed into a skit blue ensemble with some light brown boots that barely reached up past her ankles. Margaret was in her usual deep black gown that ruffled down one side only to arch and blend into the equally ruffled gem of the skirt; while Veronica was dressed in a garb that would make anyone who did not know for a fact she was the middle princess believe that she was a Holy Knights apprentice, complete with a sheathed sword on her hip and shoulder armor that seemed much too heavy for her sisters thin collar bone. The girls were in the main shopping square of the town when she saw him again, his back was to her but she recognized the dragon Holy of his blade as well as the spikes bed head that was the color of golden sunlight. He seemed to be haggling with a street vendor who was selling ale by the barrel and she could tell by the way he kept scratching his head and squaring his shoulders that he was growing more and more frustrated with the sleepy looking man.

"Hey Ellie, wanna come pick out some cookies to go with our tea?" Veronica called, causing her to turn towards her sisters just as he turned towards the sound of her childhood nickname. He caught sight of her bright silver hair swaying as she ran to meet up with who he assumed were her two elder sisters based on their clothing and posture. He smiled and leaned against the table that the Ale salesman sat behind and smirked at the way her dress hugged her bottom before flaring out around her upper thighs and knees.

"So are you going to buy four barrels or not? Fireberry Ale is a specialty around here." His attention was taken off of her form as he turned to look at the annoyed older man who was repeatedly tapping his fingers on the hardwood table in a rhythmical manner. He gave the man another coy smile as he rubbed the back of his head and pulled a bag of silver coins from his pocket.

"This will be enough for four right?" He asked with a chuckle as he glanced over his shoulder to see her glancing up at him just to smile as she turned a light shade of red and look down quickly, "I'll need them at the Boar Hat by tonight alright, I don't know how long I will be in town so I need them as soon as possible."

"What's the rush? You may get more business if you stuck around for the wedding." The old man suggested as he accepted the coins from the smiling blonde.

"I have some prior engagements in Bernia and Viazel." Meliodas chuckled and shrugged as he stuffed his hands back into his pockets and raised an eyebrow at the older man as he began to count the silver coins that were dumped from the bag onto his table.

"I can get them to you within the next two hours as long as you don't mind a bit of a markup on the price." The man stated eagerly as he counted out far more than his fair share. He glanced at the man before mentally ticking off how long he would have to spend before that table if he argued over the finer prices of the Ale and work from the mans son who sat waiting by the barrels with clearly nothing else to do for the day.

"Just get it to me as soon as you can and I will let you keep the satchel, how does that sound?" Meliodas asked as he turned to fully face the man who simply nodded quickly as he scooped the coins back into the satchel with a merry smile upon his face. Not another word was spoken between the two as Meliodas pushed off from the table and made his way across the square, following the same path that the three princesses had taken through the market stalls. He had lost sight of her silver hair but he knew that she had traveled the path he was currently on, he could sense her presence not too far ahead of him and felt himself speed up a bit to find her once again. He could close his eyes and almost see the thin line leading him to her, weaving in and out of the bodies that moved back and forth along the cobbled streets. However he could not believe where she had decided to go.

The path that the girls took was a long one to be sure and it weaved in and out of market stalls and around large shops. He found himself confused many times about wither or not he was actually going the right way until a flash of silver in the distance would have him rushing to catch up with her once again. He felt as if he was a young man once again as he ducked and weaved through the crowd, keeping the silver tips of her hair in sights at all times just like he had in all those battles when she had been a goddess and he had been a much much younger-

His mind went blank as he rounded the last corner to see none other than the Boar Hat before him. He could clearly see Hawk waving nervously at him from the porch and pointing to the rightmost front window where he found the silhouettes of the three princesses sitting down at a table. With one eyebrow raised in pleased surprise and his hands tucked neatly into his pockets he hopped up the few steps to the taverns porch and patted Hawk on the head.

"What is going on here? I thought she wouldn't be back but she came back with two more!" The pig was shuddering and shaking as he spoke with a quaking bottom lip.

"Relax will you Porkey. It's just three ladies getting a meal. No big deal right?" He smiled and winked sat the pig as he opened the front door before slipping inside the Tavern and easing it closed. Hawk snorted as he watched the blonde casually taking the girls orders, and then their reactions to his abhorrent cooking skills. The small blonde seemed to take it all with a carefree air as the two older sisters simply spit their food out as politely as they could. Yet Hawk could see, even though the grimy window, and even though she was fighting tears while doing so , Elizabeth was eating every bite that she sliced off of her meat pie. Slowly and carefully she did so while smiling up at the blonde even through the wet streaks that were being painted on her face by her tears.

"Aw man, I wish I was in there right now. I would love to get some of those scraps that are getting all over the place." Hawk pouted as he moved away from the window, "Ah well, gotta go tell mamma where we should head to tomorrow anyway." He hopped down from the porch and trotted a few yards out from the front door before scratching at the ground with one hoof, "Hey mamma! Listen up okay?" He began without waiting for an answer.

Elizabeth watched as her sisters hid their bit s in their napkins after the Bar Owner turned his back on them. She however, took full bites that tasted worse than anything she had ever eaten before and swallowed each and every one with a strained smile pasted on her face. She was the one who had suggested this Tavern as the place for them to eat so she could maybe switch out her new basket with the one that she had left behind the night before with the shoes and cloak hopefully stored inside it. She couldn't tell them of course, her sisters no longer thought that she had been there the night before and she couldn't risk them thinking that she had actually snuck out the night before. She watched nervously as the two made small talk about how quaint the Tavern was, all the while eyeing the boards above her head. She could try to sneak upstairs when no one was looking but her sisters were sticking very close to her that day and she did not see them letting her out of their sight for any reason at all.

"Do you seriously like that meat pie Ellie?" She looked over to see her sisters worriedly staring at her with matching furrowed brows and slight frowns as they did so.

"It's terrible, but still," she thought of all the trouble that she had put the blonde through the night before, the same blonde that was currently glancing at her as he chuckled at something another patron had said and taking a swig out of his own large mug of Ale, "but still, it's delicious." She smiled as she wiped a tear out of her eye and swallowed yet another bite of the pie.

"I know what's going on here," Veronica stated as she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest as her eye brows raised along with the corners of her mouth.

"What do you mean?" Both Margaret and Elizabeth asked her in unison as they turned their eyes on the purplette that looked pretty pleased with herself.

"I mean Ellie here is trying to get out of meeting her future husband too soon by dragging us as far away from the castle as she can." The middle princess smiled broadly as she stared down her little sister who seemed more terrified than she should have been to be called out in such a way.

"That's absurd. Why would Elizabeth try to hide from such a kind and honest man, why she is lucky father has found such a good suitor for her." She could feel herself blushing as she looked away from her sister, just in time to see him spitting up his Ale as it traveled down the wrong pipe. He did not even look at her as he chuckled loudly and began cleaning up the bar. The patrons around him taking the time to throw a few one liners about the situation around while he just stood there cleaning with a smile plastered across his face.

"I just thought it would be nice to see all of the kingdom that I could before I was sent off to another one." She stated under her breath as she looked away from the blonde who was busily pouring refills for everyone around him with a playful smirk that lit up his bright green eyes. Seeing him like this caused her to feel something strange in the back of her mind. It was like a distant memory that she couldn't put her finger on, the feeling was fuzzy and warm and brought a small smile to her lips as she leaned forward onto her folded fist.

"Hmm, say isn't it about time we head back home? Arthur should be done meeting father by now and I am sure he is eager to take you for a stroll around the gardens again." Veronica stated as she leaned forward to make her statement in a soft whisper that was barely louder than Elizabeth's own breathing. She was shocked that her sister would be so willing to send her off with a man she still did not know that well all because her father wanted her to joined together with him in the marital union.

"I think we have a bit more time don't you Margaret?" Elizabeth asked as she eyed the blonde behind the bar through her bangs shyly.

"No, I agree with Veronica. We have to leave now." Margaret stated as she pulled two gold coins from her bag and laid them on the table. The two elder girls lead the youngest out from the establishment and past a dozing Hawk who she mentally begged to wake up and make some excuse for her to stay. When they made it all the way down the stairs and along the path without any intervention she hung her head in defeat. She gave in and simply accepted that she would not be able to get back what was hers as her sisters hooked each of her arms in their own and smiled brightly towards the castle.

She did not notice that the blonde had slipped out of the Tavern behind them and was following them along their path to the castle. He would duck in and out of alleyways and shadowed alcoves as they lead him towards the large stone bronco building in the very center of the circle that the capital made up with its large uninviting walls. He kept her long flowing silver hair in his line of sight at all times as they moved on to more crowded streets that obviously were for the more upper class of the kingdoms commoners. Silks and velvet were abundant here and he often had to climb a pile of crates of barrels in order to get the three back within his line of sight.

The girls for their part were happily oblivious to their short blonde stalker as they made their way home, with the exception of their youngest sister who felt her heart sink as the sight of Knights holding up Camelot's flags and wearing its tabards came into view. She let out a soft sad sigh as she looked down at her hands, which she had clutched together before her stomach, with tired eyes that her sisters did not quite catch.

"Lets go let father know we're back from our stroll." Veronica and Margaret smiled at one another as the eldest made the suggestion. They each tugged lightly on the arm of their youngest sister which they held in their grasp but she did not budge. Margaret's worried expression was turned to her just a split second before Veronica's pouting face was also staring her way. She raised her hands and waved them before her face as her cheeks began to grow darker and darker at the thought of meeting the young king.

"I-I just need a moment to prepare myself. I think i-i-I w-will go to the garden to relax after that m-meal and prepare myself to m-meet him." She stuttered as she waved her hands side to side through the air between her and her two elder sisters. Veronica's mouth hung open slightly in shock while a gentle know smile spread across Margaret's. The eldest sister placed her finger on her chin as she looked between the castle and her nervous youngest sister a few times.

"Alright, you have ten minutes and then we will come back for you alright?" She asked as she tapped her chin with the same finger she had rested upon it.

"That seems reasonable." She nodded with a determined gleam in her eyes as she turned to each of her sisters and gave them a firm hug. Veronica was grumbling as they left her standing by the gates to the castle gardens but she simply ignored her elder sisters complaints and saw them off with a gentle smile and a small wave. When they were finally gone she let out a long held breath and slipped through the gates into the garden where she wouldn't be disturbed. She wandered along the paths formed by the flowers and trees that made up the maze like garden that she loved so much since her youth. She could still remember playing with her sisters and Gilthunder in the shadows of the plants while her father looked on proudly from a window above them.

"Of only I could turn back the clock to those carefree days I would." She sighed to herself as she slid onto a large stone bench nearby an equally huge rose bush that she found herself toying with the leaves of, "I wish there was a way for me to get out of this whole thing." Her eyes scanned the flowers around her lazily as she continued thinking out loud. Ever since she could remember she often thought out loud to work out how to best get through whichever situation she would find herself in. This situation was one that she really could not think of a way out of, "unless someone kidnapped me, then I guess it wouldn't be my fault anymore." She mused with a chuckle as she rested her chin on her hands. Her lips pulled up into a gentle smile as her eyes dropped closed slowly.

"You know, I could always take you away." She jerked her head up to see the blonde from the Tavern walking towards her with her basket slung over one arm and his hands stuffed into his pockets. As her eyes reached his face she saw a wide playful smile that lit up his face and eyes with its happy expression. She stood quickly as he neared her and widened her eyes in shock as his green hues held her face captive.

"What do you mean?" She asked in a quick whisper, "why are you even here?" He held her basket up between them and gave her a small shrug as his smile turned to a more mischievous one. She could see her shoes resting atop her folded cloak and felt her lips pull up into a gentle smile as her hands reached out slowly to grasp its handle.

"If you ever do need an escape, the Boar Hat could always use a cute serving girl." He stated nonchalantly as he returned his hands to his pockets.

"You're, trying to hire me?" She questioned in a low breathy voice. She could not believe what this small blonde was telling her.

"Well yeah, unless you would rather be a queen to another country that you have no idea about that is." He winked at her causing her cheeks to darken once again as she looked down at the basket that now rested in her hands.

"Could I, think about it?" She mumbled as she shyly looked towards the castle and the one home she had ever known.

"Of course, trust me I can wait." He chuckled as his hand moved to pat her gently on the head.

Chapter 2; End