Chapter 2

As the sun rose up and the birds started singing, that's when Arthur woke up. The familiar scent of vanilla curiously made him turn around and found out that he didn't sleep alone; he was in Anna's room. He found it strange to be there since he thought that she would transport him to his room next door as soon as he fell asleep, but seeing her there, so peacefully sleeping, made him forget every doubt and enjoy that magical moment. The fact that Anna took piety of him last night and sang him a lullaby so he could sleep was sweet, but this, he thought, was on a whole new level of letting him get away with what he wanted; he was on the verge of begging to stay with her last night, but he didn't imagine the girl actually letting him. Arthur turned to see her and take that image of her face as a prize, but she was facing the window, and he could only see the long strands of hair sprawled across the pillow, and her figure wrapped around the sheets they just shared the night before.

You've got to be kidding me...how is it that nobody told me how perfect it was to wake up like this?

When he stood up from the bed, Arthur could only think about how much he wanted to watch the face that the hair was hiding. He just kneeled before Anna's peaceful look while she was still dreaming, and decided to take the risk of moving away some locks of her hair to get a better view; sadly for him, it was just enough to wake her up.

- Hey...good morning - Anna managed to say while rubbing her eyes - Ever heard of personal space? It's kinda rude to wake people up like that - she just laughed at her friend's blushing face.

- And what did you expect my lady? A kiss and a hug from behind while I spooned you? - suggested Arthur with a flirty hint over his voice, which made Anna blush madly and look away from the violet eyes that could read her like an open book.

- Come on, it's too early for this, let me transport you to your room - Anna started getting up from her bed as she said those words, and gave Arthur a full view of her nightgown: a short, white, button-shirt-like dress with the first few buttons undone, so it gave a generous view of her cleavage. He was just grateful that he didn't notice it the night before or only the goddesses would have known what could have happened in that room.

- Umm...sure...no problem - muttered the young king, trying to not stare too much at Anna, who was innocently tying her hair in a ponytail, but at the same time was giving him better access to stare at her butt since the whole dress went up with the rise of her arms.

Anna still had plenty to learn from Merlin, like how to transport herself and multiple people to distant locations, but right now she was good enough to get Arthur to his room in one piece. She almost forgot about him sleeping with her last night, so when he woke her up without being over her or at least a with hand lying over a private area, she almost reacted to the instinct of defending herself and attack; although, maybe if he had woken her up in a way he suggested, she may had prevented them from even getting up. Get a hold of yourself girl! He's the KING, bearer of Excalibur itself and you are a mere knight! It was obvious that she longed something more than friendship from Arthur, but it was simply selfish of her even thinking about it since he had to marry a girl that would bring benefits to Camelot, not just your usual holy knight; besides, he only flirted with her because he was a tease, not because he actually meant it. They have spent far too many years together as friends and travel companions that, at this point, there was nothing about the other that they wouldn't know, both emotionally and physically speaking, so it was more than clear that her feelings were not responded.

At the moment that Arthur appeared into his own room, he rushed into the bathroom so he could bathe with the coldest water he could manage to get. How was it possible that, after all these years, he was getting these kind of reactions from seeing Anna in something a little revealing? He was starting to lose himself around her, and it was nothing but bad news for him. She was starting to invade his mind everyday at all hours, preventing him from paying attention at all times until they had finally a moment to chat and be friends, even if it was recommended for the pair to keep things professional. This was only because for the past three months everyone, except for Anna and Merlin, has been nagging him about considering finding a girl fit to be the queen of Camelot, but when those thoughts came into his mind, he could only think about Anna, the possibility of choosing her, and how he was not willing to let go of her just because of the probability of a bratty princess being jealous of her constant presence in the court. The cold water helped him get back to Britannia, so he stepped out of his bathroom to change and run towards the dining room, where Merlin was sure to be angrily waiting for him and Anna.

Merlin was starting to get annoyed at the lack of punctuality both her apprentice and the king had. They were supposed to wake up early in the morning to grab breakfast while recalling the plan and leave as fast as they could to Liones, and now it was nearly 8 o' clock and neither of them had appeared. She was starting to consider the idea of transporting them to the dining room in whatever condition they were, until she heard the footsteps of two people running and approaching her. When they appeared, Arthur and Anna rushed to their seats near Merlin without even looking at each other nor greeting her and started to eat and drink as if nothing had happened.

- How nice of you to appear for breakfast, and here I thought I would be eating alone - said Merlin, annoyed, and with a very notorious tone of sarcasm.

- Sorry, I overslept - was the answer both teenagers gave at the same time, which made them turn to the other side and blush.

- Well, then we are going over the plan right now and when you both finish, we are departing. Don't forget your armors -

The plan was quite simple: Merlin, while being disguised, would generate the illusion of an army so that at least one of the Great Holy Knights would feel the necessity to attend them, while Anna and Arthur would pose as their true selves: the king of Camelot and his personal bodyguard, but once inside the walls of Liones, they were going improvise. Merlin had transported them into a nearby landscape so she could make the illusion appear and make it seem as if they had marched all the way from Camelot. As they started the short march, Anna secured a cape around her shoulders just like Merlin so no one could see that she was a woman, her lasso, nor the dagger that she always carried around in case of emergency. Arthur, on the other hand, was just going with the usual king attire: a golden armor, Excalibur and a purple cape without a hood, unlike those of his companions. The army behind them looked as real as if it was actually made of flesh and bone men, and exuded a magical force so strong that was sure to be recognized by the Great Holy Knights from afar. They were only going to retrieve the king and bring him to Camelot, so whatever problem they could find would have to wait, at least, until Merlin got away.

They reached Liones by midday, and were received by the Great Holy Knight Hendrickson. Anna had to admit it, the man exuded a great deal of dark magic and surely didn't have good intentions, but damn, he was hot. Now I get why all the maids were talking about that novel where the princess falls in love with a mysterious bandit; if he were my bandit, maybe I wouldn't be all over Arthur. Anna could only sigh at her own childish thoughts, for she couldn't even picture herself liking somebody else than her king.

- Please state your motives for...let's call it a visit - ordered Hendrickson.

- I'm Arthur Pendragon, the king of Camelot, and I owe a great debt to your king Bartra, so as soon as I got notice of his illness, I decided to come here and lend the help of Camelot - stated Arthur in a serious yet friendly manner that only he could pull off.

- We already have he best doctors at hand. Thank you for visiting, but now I'm asking you to leave immediately -

- That's why I brought her - said Arthur, while pointing to Merlin's hooded figure - She is the best mage in Camelot and can cure any disease - as he finished talking, a loud explosion could be heard in the distance.

- Thank you, but right now, we have some business to attend to - stated Hendrickson as he was turning away, and in that moment, Merlin made the whole army disappear with just a snap of her fingers, thing that made Hendrickson turn around in complete confusion.

- Well, I get you don't want us here with an army, but at least I could show you the power of the court's mage. Let us help you with your little problem over there and when it's taken care of, we can discuss your king's situation - offered Arthur.

The Great Holy Knight was in a tight spot, and you didn't need to have eagle vision nor magic powers to detect it. He let Anna, Merlin and Arthur step into Liones as their horses were taken into the royal stables by some guards that were at the gate. It sure was a big city, but there were no signs of holy or even common knights, it was just Arthur, Anna, Merlin, Hendrickson and two brutes that were just behind Anna; even if everything seemed normal, Anna felt uneasy about it all, as if it was a trap. Kraken. The whisper was so soft that not even Merlin could have heard it, but it was enough for the head of the lasso to position itself in Anna's palm just in case of the worst scenario could happen, which it did.

- You know, your Highness, that messengers tend to get killed when travelling from one kingdom to another? Even a king isn't an exception to this - stated Hendrickson while unsheathing his sword and fully swinging against Arthur.

- That's it! Kraken! - shouted Anna, while turning around to get done with the two brutes that almost got her back, but thankfully they only managed to rip the cape she was wearing.

- A woman? The great king Arthur needs a girl to protect him? - challenged one of the brutes, and while he was about to laugh, Anna got him by an ankle and sent him flying towards a wall.

The other man watched in pure terror as his partner, still caught by Anna's lasso, was starting to show dry and parched skin due to dehydration. Some of the water that his body held was now being used by Anna as a second weapon, just like Merlin taught her; this one was a personal favorite for her, since it was a ball that would move around her and become ice in the form of a sea urchin that would deal physical damage to whoever tried to approach her. Kraken was obviously a sacred treasure, since the regular urchins were not as powerful and useful as this one was resulting, and Anna was eager to see how much her weapon could level her powers right now.

- So...wanna play? - said Anna as if challenging the other knight, until Merlin knocked him out with a spell - Hey! I was starting to have fun -

- Anna, you are just discovering what that lasso can do for you. It is an extremely dangerous weapon if handled improperly, watch yourself while fighting or you will actually kill somebody instead of knocking them out - warned Merlin.

- Yes madam, did you happen to see where went Arthur? -

- He is going to be okay, but right now I need you to take care of a particular someone -

Right now, her job was simple: capture Merlin's former apprentice and knock her out. All she knew about this girl was that her name is Vivian and that she wanted to become a mage so she could get a boy to like her, but ended up being the "personal assistant" of Hendrickson; Anna already disliked her. She just had to wait around the fight between Arthur and Hendrickson and not interfere, so she just silently watched as Arthur fought with the great holy knight. For a moment she was tempted to jump in and protect him, but a little blond guy appeared seemingly out of nowhere along with a holy knight and teamed up with Arthur against the other two, she was grateful for his mysterious appearance and kept waiting for her target to arrive. They were fighting ferociously, and actually made quite the good team against Hendrickson and the other holy knight, but not long before the pink haired knight appeared, Vivian entered the fight against the blond guy and Arthur. She had to jump in and get her, so she actually jumped from the broken pillar she was standing on and landed a perfect kick into Vivian's head.

- Oh...my bad, I actually can't see miserable bugs - dared to say Anna to Vivian, who has getting mad at her.

- Who is this little bitch? - shouted Vivian, obviously pissed at Anna's boldness.

- Little bitch? Watch your mouth girl, at least I'm not a mage just to brew a love potion so a guy can like me. I've got my own personal charms for that - said Anna, while winking at Vivian and immediately attacking her with the ice urchin.

Arthur was in big trouble against Hendrickson until a man appeared to help him, and it was none other than the Seven Deadly Sin's captain Meliodas. He was in his own fight against a holy knight named Gilthunder, but the guy sent him flying towards this fight and now it was a team fight. They were tough opponents, and even more when Liones' mage appeared to help them, but thankfully Anna appeared and, with a swift kick on the girl's head, landed and challenged the mage to a fight of their own. She had surely saved his ass, and he decided that once they were out of trouble, he would thank her properly.

Vivian was, indeed, a powerful opponent, but Anna was no easy target either. The ice urchin had proven itself to be quite useful against an opponent like Vivian, and Anna only needed to find a clear spot over her armor so she could absorb some of her body's water, but the girl was so covered that even a priestess would feel that it was too much. Vivian was beyond mad at Anna for both the things she said to her and the kick on the head, so she summoned repeatedly her most powerful spell: quad-element destroyer; the strategy Anna applied was so simple that she was surprised that her enemy hadn't noticed yet. By taunting her before, Vivian was so mad that she would attack without thinking, while Anna was just exhausting her magical energy by avoiding her spells and letting the ice urchin hurt her every now and then, so when the time came, even the lightest of punches would finish her off. It took what seemed and awful lot of time, but Vivian let off her guard soon enough for Anna to catch her with her lasso and slam her into the ground, she then proceeded to grab her head and slam it again, so the helmet could break and reveal her face. She was bleeding from that last move, and appeared to have a concussion, but Anna has never been a woman that was known for leaving things half done, so she just gently wrapped her lasso around Vivian's face and watched as the floating sphere grew and her target passed out from dehydration. Anna could only make weak perfect cubes, so she decided that the best thing to keep her prisoner in place was to tie her hands with Kraken and let it steal enough water from her so she could pass out again if she regained consciousness; after that, she just made Vivian levitate with an easy spell and approached Arthur's fighting zone, which now was disturbingly quiet for her taste.

When Anna reached Arthur, she found him aiding the pink haired holy knight and a beautiful girl. She was confused, but that didn't stop her from running towards Arthur and hugging him with all her might.

- Please tell me you are okay, that those idiots didn't hurt you and you are perfectly fine - begged Anna without even turning to see Arthur in the eyes.

- Don't worry Anna, I'm a big boy who can take care of himself every now and then - laughed Arthur, which resulted in him getting a light punch over his shoulder.

- By the way, weren't you just fighting to death with that guy over there? And where is the blond guy who helped you? - Anna started asking without acknowledging the people that were approaching them.

- That guy? His name is Gilthunder, but don't worry about him, he was acting to protect the girl you see him with, and "that blond guy"'s name is Meliodas, and it's me. Pleased to meet you! - cheerily said the guy that Anna saw teaming up with Arthur before as he extended his hand towards her, which she took and friendly shook.

- Very impressive Anna, I knew you could take down Vivian, but I never imagined you doing it so easily! Well, I just hope you're not as easy to deal with - said Merlin as she approached Vivian an examined her face - Princess Margaret, please say the word and I will gladly deal with my former apprentice in a way that she deserves -

- Please don't, what she did to Gil is horrible, but it was out of love, so please don't be too harsh on her - gently said the beautiful girl who was treating one of Gilthunder's wounds from the battle with Arthur and Meliodas.

- Understood, your Grace - said Merlin as she ordered Kraken to let Vivian go and invoked a perfect cube to trap her.

- Well...since that matter is sorted out, do you think you can get us to where Elizabeth is? - asked Meliodas, clearly towards Merlin.

- Yes captain, no need to say it twice - as Merlin said that, she transported everyone in front of the king Bartra's chamber.

Anna could feel the presence of a perfect cube at the other side of the door, which would make it impossible to a normal creature to reach the king. Meliodas didn't think it twice before reaching the door, and then slamming it with all his might, which caused the people trapped inside to shout in terror; that seemed to calm Meliodas, since one of the voices was a girl's, and Anna assumed that it was this Elizabeth that they were referring to before. Merlin couldn't do more but chuckle at the futile attempts of her captain, and when she got bored of it, she just opened the door with an absolute cancel spell and revealed the sick king and the girl beside him. It was a touching reunion between Meliodas and Elizabeth, so pure and full of love that it made Anna envious that Arthur didn't seem to feel even the slightest of nerves of something happening to her; she was just staring at them, completely ignoring the world, until she heard Bartra coughing and Merlin calling her.

- Anna! We are taking Bartra back to Camelot to treat him, you and Arthur are coming with me - ordered the mage as she helped the king to stand up.

- And what about Vivian? We can't let her roam freely around, and that cube is going to disappear as soon as we go away -

- You are keeping the cube as I get us out of here. Anything else to say before we part? -

- Meliodas! You and all the Deadly Sins are more than welcome to Camelot as soon as you can visit! - cheerfully blurted Arthur, and with just a nod, Meliodas accepted the offer.

Anna was nervous because she hadn't done anything like that in her life, but Arthur placed his hand over her shoulder and tried to comfort her while she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Before she knew, they were back in Camelot's castle, and the cube around Vivian was perfectly keeping her in place; although it was weak, Anna could feel Merlin's gaze of approval as she released the cube and watched Vivian being escorted by two knights into the dungeons. Next thing she tried to do was to help Merlin to heal Bartra, but she rather gave her the assignment of taking care of Arthur, so she took him to the infirmary with a kick transport. Once they were there, Anna proceeded to undress from her armor, which left her in a cropped top, shorts and long socks that reached up to her thighs, and it made Arthur blush madly and turn his gaze to the window.

- What are you waiting for? I need you to undress so I can see your wounds Arthur -

- Oh yeah...right, sorry - he shyly said as he started to undress and revealed some minor wounds, which Anna started to silently treat - So...Anna, do you think that Meliodas and Elizabeth would make a cute couple? - asked Arthur.

- Where is that coming from? - responded Anna, while maybe leaving a little too long the medicine, so it stung more than usual over Arthur's wounds.

- They seemed very happy to be reunited, and I don't know, you don't go around hugging someone like that if you are not in love with them. I mean, you and I hug and all, but it doesn't radiate love like those two -

- Yeah...maybe - muttered Anna, more hurt by those words than Arthur could imagine - You are done. Merlin said she will be delivering Bartra herself and that she will take Vivian too so she can be prosecuted in her own kingdom, so I'm going to sleep...see ya -

Anna nearly ran out of the infirmary, and she almost was stopped by Arthur, but she managed to calmly get away and just walked towards some stairs that nobody used so she could transport herself to her room without being bothered. As soon as she checked the emptiness of her room, she locked the door and let herself fall into the floor with a sea of tears pouring down her face. Stupid, stupid, stupid Arthur...how can you be so blind? Oh, sure, you can tell those two imbeciles love each other but not that I'm mad for you? You can go fuck yourself. She could barely pull herself together just long enough to reach the bathtub and undress, but miraculously she did, and as soon as she entered in contact with the water, she let Aquarius take control and transformed firstly, without even noticing. Her mermaid form could barely fit in the bathtub, so most of her tail was hanging out as she let her upper body slide and stay under the water; curiously, she could still cry under water, but the tears were instantly lost in the tub and added to her bath. The crying and cursing went on for a couple of hours until she felt dried out of any more emotions to spill, so she asked back for her legs and decided to stay in bed, no matter how many people called for her that night, she just shouted to them that she felt sick and decided to sleep early.

I hate you Arthur, I hate that you are so perfect it is impossible for me to not love you. Asshole.

That was all she could think before letting herself fall asleep amidst all the chaos and ruckus that her mind and heart were making out of her.