A lump forming in his throat as he glanced at her, a mirth in her eyes that hadn't been there before, "Sweet. Thanks!" flipping onto his stomach Meliodas dug his hands under the pillow a clasped the mattress, Okay, I might break that promise…

Bidding each other good night as all the Boar's Hat inhabitants fell asleep eager for tomorrow to see how well Elizabeth would pick up on archery and if Gowther could keep his mind-reading to himself.

X-0-X

Chirping birds and the sun's rays elicited a small grumble and yawn from the slowly waking silverette. Mhm, it's so warm, and goodness this pillow really smells like Meliodas, hehe. Burrowing closer, wait a minute….

Slowly peeking her blue eye open she was greeted with the dark cotton tank top and relaxed muscles of her affection. Eeeeep, is he awake! Shifting her head to peer over his shoulder she noticed he was still passed smooth out.

Emerald racing behind his closed lids, his unruly looks haphazardly framing the pillow and his face, and his facial expression the epitome of boyish innocence. Hee, you'd think that he was a kid instead of an ex-Holy Knight lest of all the formidable and hands-y Sin of Wrath.

Laying her head back down in the center of his upper back she listened to the steady bu-dump of his heart, Ah, this is what I was listening to in my dream… I wonder why that strange Meliodas didn't appear… Mhmm, I don't think my heart could take another dream like that one… Speaking of… Sighing softly Elizabeth sat up and ran her fingers through her hair before looking down to the still slumber dragon, Strange normally he's the one waking me up.

Leaning back on one arm she reached the other one across them to brush his messy hair back enjoying the scrunch-y nose look he took on, "Sir Meliodas, come on, it's about ten now."

One of his arms resurfaced from under the pillow, the calloused hand coming to rest on her soft fingers still running through his hair. With a voice deep and laden with sleep, "Hm, that was the best night's sleep I've honestly had in years. Thanks."

A string of guilt flashing in her gut Elizabeth turned her hand so that she could squeeze the hand over hers gently, "Sorry, s-sir…"

"Don't apologize, before I wouldn't have been good." A dark twinkle in his eyes as he finally opened them before getting out of bed and heading downstairs, for once not pestering the still blushing princess as she got dressed.

"Hey, captain. Here's a plate and I think grizzly's got the bow about finished."

"Great!" His characteristic smile taking hold as he brushed off the lingering feeling of Ellie's fingers on his scalp.

"Um, S-sir Meliodas… I thought I should wear something more suited for sparring so I hope you don't mind that I'm borrowing one of your tank tops and a pair of shorts…." Nervously she descended the stairs and flushed at the jaw dropped gazes she got from Hawk, Ban, and Meliodas.

The green tank top skin tight and rising up her stomach off set by the loose white shorts, her overall look was tomboyish and did not give any hint to her heritage at all. I can grow used to this! "Well, I must say that you pull off my clothes fairly well, is this going to start becoming a habit?" The frisky little man hummed and umm'd as he grasped and fondled her breast and butt in varying angles before Hawk recovered enough to head-butt him away.

Floating in through the window King handed Elizabeth a smooth long bow, "How's that feel?"

Looking at it in confusion before it was grabbed by a certain pinkette. Holding his arm out he began balancing the long wood on one of his fingers before spinning it in a circle, knocking it with his foot causing it to jolt into the air, and catching it with his other hand. "Hn. It will suffice, here Princess. Let's get to training."

Walking outside they all stood in awe at the make-shift target dummies. "First watch my form." Gowther's sparking bow and arrow appearing from his wrist as he stood turned to the side, he drew his right hand from the center of the bow to his chin and let loose the electrifying arrow. The farthest target exploding on impact as a gasp let the awaiting princess. "Now show me your replication."

A gulp left her as she walked forward to stand next to the puppet, pulled her left arm up and mimicking the position that Gowther had she drew back the string with the glittering arrow aiming parallel with her left index finger. I got this. Her confidence increasing as the ruffians behind her cheered her on and Gowther hummed in confirmation that she was in the correct position. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly she let the taunt string snap forward, the shiny arrowing sailing forward just to fall and imbedded itself ten feet from the twenty foot away target. Disappointment coloring her face as her arms dropped her bow hand swinging the bow up to be parallel with her arm.

"Not bad for your first shot… You actually bet my calculations, I had thought that the arrow wouldn't even fly given that you've never fired one before. So let's get more practice is and see how far you get." Gowther acknowledge Elizabeth turning her gloom into utter joy as she happily resumed her position and began firing more arrows.

Several hours had passed as the group dispersed to either laze about like King or mock fight like Ban and Meliodas. Twack, echoed across the grounds just as the sun began to fall. Immediately the happily squealing princess and pig capturing their attention as they noticed the arrow that finally hit its mark. Cheering erupted from them as Ban raced to get drinks to celebrate and Diane hugged Elizabeth before Meliodas snatched her and paraded her around over his shoulders. The next few weeks stayed remotely tolerable, small attacks from the wolves here and there, but as Elizabeth kept training in archery and using her healing powers whenever the group got hurt they stayed jubilant. Hawk finally began to trust Meliodas to not molest the princess in their slumber, yet during the day the small man wouldn't keep his hands off her unless the group fought with him.

"Okay, Princess Warrior," Meliodas snickered as he rolled over in bed to see Elizabeth smiling at him, "today is the day Gowther says you're gonna be tested." Cocking his head he played with a lock of her silver hair, "I'm not sure what he has in store for you, but I know you can do it all. You've really grown."

"M… Sir Meliodas…" Seeing him turn away and go to get up Elizabeth reached out and grasped his hand on the sheets.

"Come on! Let's go get this party started!" Elizabeth and Meliodas beamed at the other before getting up and getting dressed, she escaping to the bathroom with her own lime green tank top and black spandex shorts curtesy of Meliodas and Diane. Her flats being exchanged for the tight knee high laced boots from Ban her once smooth fingers, now donning callouses, being covered by King's fairy made gloves.

Looking in the mirror Elizabeth smiled wide, I'm not a princess anymore, daddy, but I am better. I am a fighter. I'm not gonna hinder my family anymore, I'm not a damsel anymore, but I have all my knights. I will fight by them from now on. Nodding to herself she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail revealing her hidden eye before grabbing her bow and quiver and heading outside after her friends.

"Good, you're ready! Listen closely, you have trained hard the last five weeks in both archery and your innate power at healing. You have made remarkable progress, Princess Elizabeth Lyoness. Today is your test before we can deem you ready to actually fight by us. Do you accept whatever your trial is?" Meliodas commanded with Gowther beside, the normally goofy man somber and every bit of captain and power signaling he was serious.

"Yes, sir!" Elizabeth barked out, glaring at them with a straight back and determination filling her eyes.

Gowther stepped forward, "Splendid, you are to fight with Ban. He will not use his Snatch on you to sap your strength, but he will attempt to steal these from you," he held up a belt with twenty or so gems, "you will fire at him with the intent to kill, he's the only one that you can do that to that won't either die or be judging you, sadly." Shrugging his shoulders he continued, "When you either shoot him in all vital areas or he steals all the gems the match will end and based on the outcome you will either pass or fail. The next trial will be you're healing abilities us Sin's will go all out on one another it will be your responsibility to heal us as we knock the other out of the ring." Stiffening at her goals, before looking to Meliodas, his smile returned, she nodded her head.

"Beg-" a wild cackle behind her made Elizabeth gasp before pivoting and kneeing Ban in the side as she quickly worked a distance between them. Having had Meliodas and Ban, himself, teach her how to do acrobatic dodging she utilized a powerful back handspring to do the job. Landing in a crouch she wearily watched the white-haired man as he whistled at her a grin planted on his face a mile wide. In a flash of red he charged at her forcing her to roll to the side. In a smooth motion she pulled the bow from across her chest to be held at the ready in her left hand as her right hand quickly notched an arrow and aimed at the wild-man. Letting the arrow go she jumped back and dropped to the ground in time to dodge his snatch ability and the following kick he had intended to catch her with. Breathing deeply in and out she flipped herself onto her hand bending her elbows, internally glad for the tight breast wrap Diane suggested, as she locked her legs around Bans waist and flinging him under her. In his shock she got him under her with enough time to rear back and plunge an arrow into his immortal heart before raising up and back flipping out of his grasp. Landing on her feet with a small bouncing she notched another arrow and impaled his jugular clean through. Cursing he got up and lunged for catching her ankle as before she could finish another back flip, instead she thrusted her torso back up while bringing her captured leg down as the other foot came to rest on his occupied hand, effectively using inertia to bring her to stand on him. She fired another shot at his temple while she pushed her captured leg toward his thumb the muscles of her calve forcing his hand further open until she fell through and landed on her back on the ground. The drop knocking her wind out giving him time to snatch four gems before she could flip on her feet, kicking his arm with her feet as she pulled them up before pushing them to launch her head up into his chin. Catching her he tossed her high in the air before using Snatch to grab three more as she fell to the Earth again, before she touched the ground he used his power to pull her to him snagging another gem before pushing her away. Stumbling she fell to her knees and looker over her right shoulder to glare at him, her orange eye showing her anger, before she pulled herself back up and turned to him.

"That was very dangerous, Sir Ban. I could not survive a fall from that height."

"Get used to dirty Princess, in big boy fights dirty is the last thing on your mind. Survival is." With that he darted at her again only to be met with a sharp kick to the left side of his face as the force pushed him down and she used her momentum to jump on his back.

"You're right dirty shouldn't matter." Pulling an arrow she stabbed him in the back behind his heart just as she threw herself backwards her force bringing him back as well as he went head first London-bridge-style into the ground and she escaped between his legs.

Dazed he slumped down into a laying positon, resting on his elbows, only to be met with the image of her pulling arrows from the quiver as she rapid fired at him until each lethal point had at least three or more arrows.

A low whistle broke the silence before everyone screamed her name in joy and congratulations. Looking up at Ban sheepishly, "Sorry I turned you into a pin cushion…."

"Nah, I enjoyed it! Only one that really lets me have it is normally Capt'n, so I'm happy." He jested as he pulled the arrows out without wincing. Grimacing, she set to help pull out the impaling objects, failing to notice the smoldering eyes on her from behind as the blonde owner replayed her fight in his head. The sweat and dirt clinging to her as she gave Ban a run for his money, even if he was still going easy on her, making a darker side to him yearn out.

"Elizabeth, that was AMAZING!" Diane screamed as she ran toward the smiling princess.

"When Ban tossed me I was so scared to be honest…"

"You looked so calm and collected!?"

"I only thought about how far each of you guys have fallen, and while it would have hurt I think I could have taken it…"

Smiling at her friends' awe'ing and ooo'ing she finally noticed the dark look that Meliodas had, slowly she walked forward and crouched to his level, shifting his bangs away from his eyes. "You okay, Sir Meliodas?"

Slowly, he came back from his trance-like state and smiled at the bi-colored worring face before him. "I'm good, just impressed that such a royal baby could be such a hot ass-whoopin' babe." Teasing he grasped her breasts as her face slowly changed from pink to tomato in mere seconds.

"S…S-SIR M-ME-MEL~" A peck to her forehead cut her off as she stared shell-shocked at the small man before her.

"You were brilliant." And with that he turned and ambushed Ban, kicking the man in the back of the head so hard he was stuck in the dirt up to his shoulders, "You on the other hand, were outta line."

"D'aww, capt'n she didn't get too hurt." Could be faintly heard as the fox grumbled into the dirt. "Besides save my ass-beating for when we all go out on each other!"

After a quick lunch and much joking later they all set outside again for the final trial. Everyone nodding to their referees as Merlin erected a semi-permeable barrier around her fellow miscreants and Elizabeth sat against the Boar's Hat door; the group walked several hundred feet away so as to not destroy their home. Ban initiating the fight by kneeing King off Chastiefol, turning to lay a punch to Diane's side, only to have Meliodas grab his throat and chuck him down into Diane's upcoming knee. Blood spewing from his mouth as the man bounced to the ground temporarily broken.

Gowther shooting multiple arrows at his comrades from his perch in a tall oak tree. Three arrows hitting Meliodas in the back before exploding and launching the smaller man into the nearest tree, Diane pulling forth clay pillars from the Earth to ram into the puppet. A giant sunflower tearing up from the ground and unleashing its beam on the twitching immortal before said undead man jumped and clambered up the green plant, still smoking, he leapt toward the shocked fairy.

A crazed grin on his face as he grabbed the short auburn hair and both men plummeted toward the ground once more. King laying unmoving as Ban kicked him out of the barrier before ten arrows struck him and blew his limbs off.

Diane and Meliodas teaming up against Gowther has she hurled the blonde man at the pinkette, catching the branching under him Meliodas flung himself up in an arced vault kicking Gowther out of the tree toward Diane's incoming fist. The pinkette crashing into the ground several feet down by the Boar's Hat.

A purple light wrapping around her ankles and a fierce tug forcing the giant to fall half out of the barrier. Cursing she got up and sulked toward the other defeated Sin's. Elizabeth already healing King by hugging his back to her and her forehead on the top of his, Diane quietly torn between fuming and crying over her beat up boyfriend. Back in the barrier tree after tree fell as both men tossed and kicked the other into them.

Meliodas bleeding heavily as Ban grabbed him to fling him into a large boulder only to have Meliodas anchor his feet into the ground rip off Ban's arms. Flipping them around so that he grasped the bleeding shoulders he used them to bat Ban back, once forced back he chucked the arms into his face followed by a decapitating roundhouse kick to the angered white-haired man. His head bouncing off the aforementioned boulder and nearby tree before ricocheting out of the barrier.

Merlin canceled the barrier as Elizabeth ran toward Meliodas just as he fell back with a smile on his face. Replaying his conversation with the undead in his head.

"You know that was an ass move, Ban."

"The minx deserved a scare besides the look on your face was priceless, too." Ban countered as he blocked the flying fists as his bones broke with each solid hit. "You know you're in love with her."

"Yeah, what of it?" Ban knocked Meliodas into the tree line taking down three of them.

"Why don't you ask her out?!" Meliodas rushed out from the fallen trucks kneeing Ban in the sternum as he grabbed the taller man's head and vaulted over him flinging the man into the other side of the forest.

"She couldn't like me like that, sh—!" Ban impaled Meliodas in the gut before raising him up and over in an arc to the ground.

"Why do you think she's grown so much, idiot. Again, don't miss out on this like I did"

Looking up at the ruffled once formal girl as she inspected his injuries she grinned, wouldn't hurt to just ask, right? "Elizabeth." Her widened eyes turned up to his face as her orange eye began to softly glow. "Would you like to go out, just you and I, when we reach the next town?" The warm, tingling, sensation from her healing powers sputtering before resuming their pace as the woman before him broke into a grin with tear pricks threatening to spill.

"Yes, Sir Meliodas." With that she leaned forward and kissed his forehead much like he had before instantly all his wounds were gone and they were all heading back to their bar.

X-0-X

I hope everyone enjoyed this update, I decided to utilize a time jump because while watching Elizabeth grow and stumble would be so much fun it would get very tiring. In that time she and Meliodas had grown quite a bit closer, sleeping every night with him untied and waking to much the same experience. Don't worry I'll make Meliodas wake up early next chapter and you can see how he behaves to having the princess draped over his back or chest. ;) I love all your reviews and I hope I've responded to everyone personally… I'm torn between wanting this to take a few more chapters and jump into another rush, but I'm gonna do my best to build a relationship with a little bit of action.

A fair warning, as you might have already noticed, Elizabeth is not gonna be completely in character and neither will Meliodas. I have an alternate universe and background for our mischievous demon, so that will influence his behavior, and I'm gonna get Elizabeth out of her timid shell. Alright, I hope you enjoyed and please do review it makes me so happy! I love reading them because it brings it home that other people actually care about what I've written! :D 3 Love you all!