Author's note: I hope that I am developing things so that it's easy to understand for people who have never played Skyrim. If you guys need any clarifications, please tell me. Also, just a question: Does this little intro in every chapter bother you guys? If so, tell me in the comments, as I'd love to hear your feedback.
This is a tale like no other. Where myths and legends are a reality. In the land known as Skyrim, a great plague has fallen unto the people. On the break of war between two distinct sides, Skyrim grows more conflicted by the minute. But, there is more to this story than meets the eye. A great danger awakens from it's slumber, keen on reaping it's revenge on those that had sealed it away. In desperate times like these, the people of Skyrim look to the heavens for a sign of hope, for a savior to save them all. That savior, is the Dragonborn.
- Hitting the Road -
"A bounty?" Houser inspected the tattered parchment Jericho had given him. The wanted poster illustrated a younger looking man, with short, spiky hair, and a scar running across his neck. His narrow eyes gave him a dangerous look along with his well toned body. He looked down at the name,
Ban the Greedy
Houser, once again, felt his pride diminish. This, 'Ban' looked incredibly strong. This guy looks even more built than me! He instinctively checked his own muscles.
"Yes, a bounty. We've been trying to grab this one for a long time. He's not easy to find, but we think we've found his hideout. You, Captain Aldis, and I will go to these coordinates," Jericho pointed to a marking on the large map in the middle of the room, "and arrest him. If he should refuse justice, then you'll have your first taste of combat."
"Jericho, I need you here. We've got a war to fight." Hendrickson spoke up. Jericho stood at attention,
"Sir, may I request that I take this young soldier, along with Captain Aldis and other recruits, on a training mission sir?" Hendrickson's face remained unchanged. He seemed to maintain a stoic look; his thick grey eyebrows furrowed over his narrow eyes. His facial expressions were limited to frowning, grimacing, and an occasional grunt.
"Our forces are spread thin as they are Legate." Hendrickson retorted.
"Sir, If I may, how are we supposed to win a war with untrained recruits who can't tell the hilt of their sword from the point. Let me take these men; give them some actual field practice, and I promise, we'll yield results." Houser could hear the determination in her voice. Hendrickson hesitated, then nodded.
"Alright then. Finish this….chore, and then report back to me as soon as you can. Consider this a leave of absence. Report anything Stormcloak activity to me personally." Jericho brought her right fist to her left breast in salute.
"Thank you sir." Houser followed suit,
"Yes! Thank you s-"
"Speak only when you are spoken to!"
"Yes ma'am-" Jericho shot him a look. Houser quickly shut his mouth.
"We'll return as soon as the mission is completed General." Jericho swiftly turned about, exiting through the door Houser had entered through. Houser followed her lead, leaving General Hendrickson to his battle plans.
"I'll gather some of the troops. You should go to Captain Aldis, he'll get you outfitted and ready to go." The thought of armor reminded Houser of how tired he was. He had been traveling for at least two days. He needed to have some rest. Surely the legionaries slept?
"Isn't it a bit late?" Houser spoke up as Jericho was walking away. She stopped abruptly and turned towards him.
"It's never too late to bring Justice to a common criminal. Suit up. We're leaving in ten minutes."
King
King opened his eyes. A bright light welcomed him instead of the roof he had been sleeping under. Upon the sudden realization that he was no longer in the Drunken Huntsman, King sat up shaking. He quickly looked about him, trying to figure out where he actually was.
Warm sand surrounded him, next to a shallow river. The waters were smooth, and quiet. Trees and grass popped out of the ground further from the bank. The leaves were a beautiful mixture of colors; red, green, brown, yellow. The light filtered through the trees, giving the forest a majestic look. For some reason he couldn't explain, King was getting a sense of nostalgia. The place seemed familiar, but he just couldn't place his finger on it.
"Where am I?" King wondered.
Standing up, King brushed off the sand from his robes. It was only then that he noticed that he was soaking wet. The cold clothing stuck to his body and sent shivers down his spine. King reluctantly pulled off his mage's robe. He kept his pants, shoes, and shirt on. He didn't want to be seen wandering around naked, like some sort of savage. Leaving his robe on a nearby branch, King made his way down the bank. Rivers usually led to a mill, or some sort of village. Civilizations always thrived near rivers; it was only a matter of time before he found one. Right?
Walking down the bank, a new piece of scenery came into view. A bridge. On it were a couple of figures, too far away for King to distinguish. Maybe these people can help me! They'll give me directions! King picked up his pace, jogging lightly towards the people on the bridge. Halfway down the bank, he began to pick out their distinguishing features. His pace slowed. There was a cart, and a horse. A young girl sat on the cart, along with what looked like a young boy. Three men stood in front of the cart.
"No…." It was happening again. King felt himself start running towards them at full speed. He needed to stop them! He could stop this! Just as he was reaching the bridge, a body fell over the bridge. King stared into the water as the body surfaced. It was a young boy, wearing blue robes, with light brown hair. It was himself. It was King. He stared as the body slowly floated downstream, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of his own body.
"KING!" Elaine. His sister's scream broke his trance. King scrambled up the side of the road towards the top of the bridge. The white haired bandit held Elaine tightly in his muscular arms. He held a knife in one hand, threateningly.
"Don't you touch her!" King threatened. The three bandits turned back around, facing King once again.
"Didn't I get rid of you, boy? This is becoming more trouble than it's worth. Kill her." King's strength plummeted to zero as he heard those last words. His eyes quickly darted over to his little sister's. Her blue eyes stared back at his. They were pleading with him, praying for him to save her. They begged him.
Then the white haired bandit brought the knife across her throat.
"NO!"
THUMP!
King woke up. He was not on a beach. He was not fighting bandits. It was all just a dream. His body currently lay against the wooden floor of the Drunken Huntsman. Sweat covered his face. HIs forehead pounded like nothing he had ever felt before. Like a drummer slamming mallets against the frontal lobe of his brain, his head throbbed to a steady beat. Groaning loudly, King attempted to stand on his feet. His legs quickly buckled beneath him, bringing him to the floor again. As he tried to stand up again, he could hear voices murmuring from behind his door.
"Is Sir King alright?" It was Elizabeth's voice no doubt.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure he's just fine. I'll go check on him." And that, was Meliodas's voice. No doubt. King pulled himself back onto his bed, sitting on the edge of the mattress. He held his forehead in his hand, rubbing his temple in an attempt to soothe the throbbing pain. From the other side of the room, the door opened up. In came Meliodas, bright as ever, holding a tankard.
"Morning King. How're ya feelin'?" He asked in a chipper mood. King slowly turned his head towards the Dragonborn, glaring at him. The deep bags under his eyes only intensified his glare.
"What did you give me last night…." He gritted through his teeth. Meliodas tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"Hm….you know, I can't say I remember. It could've been some Argonian Ale…." Meliodas continued thinking.
"I hate you." King grimaced. Meliodas chuckled and sat down next to King, throwing an arm over his shoulder.
"Aw, c'mon. It's not my fault you're a lightweight. Besides, we've got a big day today! Time to get up! Elizabeth's already started packing." King groaned and fell back into his bed, closing his eyes.
"I'm too tired….thanks to you, I've got this pounding headache. Give me five more minutes…."
"Yeah, I wish I could….but Elizabeth already yelled at me for waking up late, and said I'd better wake you up so we can get on our way before the sun starts setting-" King sat up abruptly, his bloodshot eyes wide open.
"It's already late in the afternoon?!"
"Yup." King looked down at the mug Meliodas was holding. His eyes narrowed.
"What's that."
"Ashfire mead. They say it's good for waking you up."
"..."
"Get the HELL out of here you drunk!" Meliodas suddenly found himself pushed out the door as it slammed behind him. Meliodas shrugged.
"Who said it was for you anyway." As he took a sip from the mug, Elizabeth walked over to him, carrying a small crate.
"How did it go?" Meliodas stared blankly at her for a moment.
"Perfectly!" His eyes flashed as he gave her a thumbs up.
Several hours later ~ Whiterun Stables
Meliodas pushed the last crate of supplies onto the back of the cart. King sat in the back, eyes half closed. He was the sleepiest of the three, having still not recovered from his drinking accident last night. Hawk was curled up next to him, dozing away. Elizabeth sat at the reigns. It was unanimously decided that she was the most responsible one of them, and most trustworthy with the reigns of the horses. Meliodas walked over to the side of the cart next to Elizabeth, and pulled himself up next to her.
"That's everything."
"Good. Then we can finally be on our way. Are you alright back there Sir King?" Elizabeth called. No answer. Elizabeth and Meliodas looked behind them. King had finally passed out. His head lay against a pillow set up against some of the crates.
"I'm honestly surprised he stayed awake till now." Meliodas commented. Elizabeth pulled out a map from her pack. Spreading it out on her lap, she searched for Riften.
"Riften is all the way out in the Rift." Elizabeth pointed towards a small icon to the eastern side of the map. The icon was Riften's insignia; two crossed swords. Elizabeth then brought her finger down a small line through a series of mountains, "If we stick to the White River, we'll get through these mountains. Then we'll come across the marshes. Once we get through there, we just follow this road to Riften." Meliodas looked at the map.
"Right. Then, once we've stocked up on supplies, we'll head over to Ivarstead, and make our way up the mountain." His finger traced a small path leading across the Rift towards the name 'Ivarstead'.
Meliodas took the map from Elizabeth and folded it up while she took hold of the reigns. With a gentle flick of the reigns, Elizabeth got the horses moving down the road. The night was cool, yet still warm. The night sky was bright, and clear. So clear, that you could see all of the stars and constellations. Meliodas stared at them as the cart shook and rattled against the cobblestone road.
"Elizabeth?" She turned towards him for a moment,
"Yes?" Her eyes returned to the road. Meliodas continued staring up at the sky, resting his chin on his knee.
"What do you think we'll find there. At the throat of the world?" Elizabeth quietly mulled the thought over before responding.
"I honestly don't know. But I'm sure it'll be fascinating!" Meliodas looked back at her.
"I would've thought you'd have more to say than 'fascinating'. You sound like King when he finds a pretty flower or something." Elizabeth giggled and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
"Honestly Sir Meliodas, I don't know….but I'm just excited to be experiencing it with you guys. Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll be ready for it!" Elizabeth always displayed so much determination, so much courage for such a tavern girl. Meliodas sometimes wondered how she managed to keep it up. Some people had a miraculous resistance against depression; they would always stare at the tankard as half full. You could call her an Optimist.
Meliodas liked that about Elizabeth. Even when the going got tough, she still fought through it till the end. She didn't run, or cower away. Her strengths didn't lie in her sword arm, or her magic capabilities. And she knew that. She just chose to ignore it, and fight in other ways. She used her heart; to rally the troops, to boost morale, and to give encouragement. Meliodas guessed that some would see such attributes as pathetic, but not him. Every army needed a flag bearer to rally the troops, or a lute player to boost their spirits. When the going got tough, morale would almost always prove to be one of the greatest downfalls of an army. Elizabeth, however, showed no shortage of willpower, of hope. And Meliodas feared they would need every ounce of hope they could get if he would have to face off against Alduin.
Meliodas didn't want to think about it. Thinking about it usually ended up with him staring blankly off into space, and Elizabeth getting all concerned and such. He didn't want her to worry. He could handle it. It was his burden, not hers.
The road from Whiterun eventually ran up alongside the White River, just as the map had said. Meliodas had dozed off, and Elizabeth was getting tired. Even the constant bumping of the wagon had stopped waking her up when she began to doze off. Slowly, she pulled the wagon to the side of a road, near a large cluster of trees. It was late in the night now, and quite dark. The only light visible was the luminescence of the moon and the stars.
Elizabeth stopped the wagon, and tied the horses up to a nearby tree. Once the horses were secured, she went back to the wagon to get the others. "Sir Meliodas? We're stopping for the night, I thought we would make camp here." Meliodas groggily pulled his head up from his arms, and looked back at her.
"Huh?"
"We're making camp here. I'll go wake King. Then we'll get the sleeping bags out and rest here." Meliodas nodded, still half asleep. Elizabeth walked over to the back of the wagon to wake King and Hawk. Meanwhile, Meliodas attempted to get out of the cart, only to fall flat on his face.
"Sir King? Sir Hawk? We're taking a rest here. Come out of the wagon so we can set up camp." King opened his eyes and sat up, surprisingly not as tired as he had been before. Elizabeth guessed he had gotten a good amount of sleep while she and Meliodas were talking.
"Oh? We're making camp? Alright…." The mage hopped out of the wagon and helped Elizabeth pull out the sleeping bags.
Before long, the three of them had set up their sleeping bags around a small fire. Over the fire, Elizabeth cooked three slabs of meat on a spit. When they had finished their small dinner, they gave their scraps to Hawk, who happily gobbled them all down. Meliodas brought out drinks afterwards, though King was quick to deny the offer. He had had enough drinking for the time being.
"Suit yourself." Meliodas shrugged and chugged down his tankard. Even Elizabeth partook in the drinking of alcohol, though she of course, drank much less than Meliodas. Before long, they were all sleepy again, and had begun drifting back to sleep. The fire they had built was beginning to dwindle. King was selected (by Meliodas of course) to take the first shift while they slept, and to get firewood. Begrudgingly, King set off into the forest to gather more firewood.
"Of course he selects me to have the first shift." King began talking to himself as he gathered small sticks and logs, "There won't even be shifts. He'll just fall asleep, and he knows I'm not going to disturb Elizabeth while she sleeps." King stubbornly kicked a small stone into a nearby pool of water. "And it's not like Hawk would be any use being a watchguard. He'll probably fall asleep in a matter of minutes….then again, It's not like I'd trust Meliodas as the watch. Ugh, why must I do all the work?" King's eyes landed on a nearby log.
The tree had fallen down a while back, like something had pressed against it. It's trunk had been splintered into several pieces, with large chunks of wood scattered about. One log in particular was of a good size, and looked reasonably dry. It would make perfect firewood. King walked over to the log and began pulling it up onto his shoulder.
"Ah!" King let out a startled cry when a small spider crawled up his arm from under the log. He quickly brushed it off and watched as it scuttled away. King wasn't particularly afraid of spiders, or any insects for that matter. He was very good with nature. Ever since he was a boy, he was interested in the forests, and the creatures living about them. He and Elaine would often camp out in the woods together, exploring it together.
Elaine.
He only hoped that she was still alive. King resumed picking up the log, and brought it over his shoulder. He quickly felt the strength in his legs decline. He had underestimated the weight of the log. That, or he had overestimated the strength of his arms. Either way, he now realized it was too big for him to carry. As his knees buckled, King tossed the log off to the side, panting heavily.
"How am I supposed to bring that back?" He wondered. He stared at the log, trying to figure out a way to make it easier for transportation. Then, suddenly, he heard a scream.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
It was a young woman's scream. King's body quickly went into full alert, his eyes darted about him for the source of the screaming. Initially, he worried it was Elizabeth's scream, and that she was in danger. Then he heard it again,
"AAAAHHHH! Get it away from me! EW!"
The voice was definitely not Elizabeth's. It was someone in the forest! Someone in danger! Summoning Chastiefol in his hands, King dropped his pile of sticks and began trotting through the forest, searching for the source of the screaming. As he hopped over dead logs and splintered trunks, he noticed a trail made through the forest. A new path had been made; knocked over trees and splintered wood made way for a new path. What sort of creature could've made this? King wondered.
"HELP! GET IT AWAY!"
The pleas called out again. The voice seemed oddly familiar. King quickened his pace.
"Hold on! I'm coming! Just stay where you are! I'll be right there!" King followed the new path. As he brushed past trees and crushed bushes, a small branch caught on his robe, almost ripping it off him. In his rush to get to the voice, he quickly pulled it off and continued. "I'm coming! Hold on!" He could feel the adrenaline running in his veins. He would not fail this woman, whoever it was. He wouldn't fail again. Not like that time on the bridge. He would save them. King picked up his speed. A branch scratched at his cheek, but he pressed onwards.
The path of fallen trees and splintered wood finally opened up to a small clearing. A small patch of open ground surrounded by trees sat next to a dark cave. The interior of the cave was too dark for King to see inside of, even from where he was. King jogged over to the center of the clearing, looking for any sign of the woman.
"Where are you? Hello?!" King called out frantically. He stared back out towards the path of trees. Maybe he had gone the wrong way? He began to retrace his steps when he heard a hissing sound from behind him. He quickly spun around, Chastiefol at the ready in his hands. It was another giant spider! Just like the one they had encountered in Bleak Falls Barrow! King feared it could possibly even be bigger than the last. He slowly backed away, Chastiefol pointing in front of him in a defensive position. Meliodas and Elizabeth were back at the camp, and he didn't think he could outrun the monster! He quickly brought up a bright flame in his palm, and lit the tip of Chastiefol aflame. Bracing himself, King prepared to throw the enchanted weapon straight into the spider's eyes.
"TAAAAKKEE THIS-" King's words were suddenly silenced when the spider was abruptly crushed by a giant wall. The force of the object caused King to fall backwards onto his back. Chastiefol flew out of his hands. A cloud of dust covered his surroundings. Dazed and confused, King rubbed his blurry eyes, and squinted back at where the spider once stood.
The monster's legs were all that remained, sticking out from underneath the giant brown wall. It's green blood was splattered all over the place; on him, the ground, and even the mysterious object. King's vision cleared, and he realized that it wasn't a wall at all.
It was a boot.
Now, as a court wizard, King had seen many things in his short lifetime. Trolls breathing fire, an unusually large bandit using two-handed battleaxes like kitchen knives, and yes, even a bartender killing a dragon by shouting a sword through it's skull! Still, nothing compared to what lay before him now.
The massive brown wall was, in reality, a giant, leather, boot. King's eyes slowly followed the boot up to a giant leg. His eyes traced along the curvaceous lines of the leg till it met a well rounded torso. King could feel his heartbeat triple as he continued staring. Past the torso, her well endowed chest pushed against her leather armor. Finally, his eyes landed on a face. It was a young woman, probably in her early 20's. She had a large purple eyes that sparkled like amethysts. Her long dark brown hair was pulled back into two ponytails on either side of her head. King stared at her dumbly, mesmerized by her face. It was the most beautiful face he had ever seen. Everything from her sparkling purple eyes, to her cute ponytails enthralled him. He could feel his face growing red just from staring at her. It was only when she spoke, that he snapped out of his trance.
"EWWW! Oh my god! Is it dead! Please tell me it's dead! I hate bugs!" King watched as she lifted her boot, inspecting the gooey mess on the bottom. She shivered at the sight of it, "Eugh, great, now I have to scrape it off…." King sat silently, too afraid to say anything. The girl had to be at least 30 feet tall! He couldn't help but stare in fright, and awe. Then, his worst fear became a reality. She stared at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Are you alright?" She asked him. King sat silently for a moment, not saying a word. She stared at him curiously, a concerned look in her eye. King had to fight his own nerves to stand himself up. His body was shaking uncontrollably, fear dominating his every move. His brain screamed for him to calm down, that she meant no harm. She was asking if he was alright! She was a kind person! She could be trusted! She was beautiful!
King opened his mouth to speak.
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Fear had won the battle. King turned about and began sprinting as fast as he could back to the camp. He couldn't handle it. Her immense size was too intimidating! His knees shook and his thighs burned as he scrambled through the forest. He could hear the girl sigh from behind him,
"Ugh….they always run…."
King kept running. Maybe she wouldn't follow him? Maybe he was safe? Then again, deep down in some small crevice in his brain, he almost hoped she would find him. Why would he even think that! He couldn't help but question his own sanity as he dashed through the brush towards the camp. Up ahead, he could see a giant log, hollowed out on the inside. I can hide in there! King quickly changed direction, running as fast as he could towards the log. He suddenly lost his footing as the earth around him shook slightly.
She's after me!
King quickly got to his feet, scrambling towards the log. He was almost there! With a final burst of energy, King dove headfirst into the log. His face collided with the soft, earthen floor of the hollowed tree. Not even waiting to brush the dirt off his face, King clung to the wall of the tree, panting heavily as the small tremors continued. His only concern now was if he had managed to escape. His eyes darted about him, like a caged animal. The other end of the log was blocked off by a mound of dirt and eroded wood.
King felt a wave of goosebumps run up his arm, as a small tingly feeling ran along his hand. He let out a startled scream, waving his hand about. His heartbeat was thumping incredibly fast, and his breathing was becoming shortened. King stared down at his hand, only to realized it was a small ant. He facepalmed, disappointed that he had gotten scared over nothing more than a simple ant.
The tremors had stopped. King's heartbeat slowed down to a semi-normal pace. Feeling brave, and a bit curious, King creeped towards the open end of the log. Careful not to expose too much of himself, the mage peered out from his hiding spot. He looked left; nothing but trees. He looked right; the only thing there was the path of knocked down trees and splintered wood. He looked ahead; it was clear.
"I lost her…." King let out a sigh of relief, crawling out from the log.
"Hi."
He had not taken five steps out from the log when a feminine voice called from behind him. King turned around slowly, his shaking increasing as he did so. His eyes finally landed on those beautiful amethyst eyes. It was her. The giant girl. She was crouching over his log, chin in her hands and elbows on her knees. It was obvious that she had been waiting for him. King felt for his spear, only to realize that he had left it back in the clearing.
The two stared in silence. Then, the giant girl reached an arm behind her. King opened his mouth, ready to scream for help. Maybe Meliodas and Elizabeth would hear him? Maybe they could come to his rescue!
"You're seriously not going to start that again are you?" She asked, a bit disappointed. King shut his mouth. The girl brought back her hand from behind her back. Slowly, like a child reaching toward a bird, she held out her hand. In the center of her palm, sat Chastiefol. King stared at his spear, then back at the girl, then back at the spear, and back at the girl again.
"Well? What're you waiting for? Take it."
Hands shaking, King warily reached out for his spear, keeping his eyes on her face the whole time. When he felt his fingers wrap securely around the handle of the spear, he quickly whipped his hands back, bringing the spear to his chest defensively. The girl slowly retracted her hand. They sat in silence again, staring at one another.
"So….is this normally how you speak with people? By staring at them?" The girl asked. King shook his head. The giantess rolled her eyes, and put on her best smile.
"Well, I'm Diane. Nice to meet you!"
Diane ~ Pleased to meet you!
She stuck out her hand, reaching only a couple feet away from King's face. Slowly, he rose his hand to meet hers. His was miniscule in comparison! She could easily close her whole hand around his arm, no, his whole waist! King stood in awe as he shook her massive hand.
"What's your name?" She asked. King's mind suddenly turned back on. Survival instinct and fear had had total control for the past five minutes. Now, he needed to switch back to his normal state. King opened his mouth to speak,
"King! There you are!" It was Meliodas's voice that spoke for him. Diane instantly spun around towards the approaching voices. Meliodas, Elizabeth, and Hawk appeared from the bushes. Meliodas and Elizabeth had their swords drawn, and Meliodas was standing in a battle ready position. King was about to speak when he suddenly found himself unable to move.
A soft, warm wall had enclosed around him. Then, the world suddenly changed. He was no longer standing on the ground. He was moving! The world spun so fast his eyes couldn't keep up. Then, it stopped. He was no longer on the ground. He was held in suspension by two walls on either side of him. King's brain spun around, trying to make sense of what had just happened. When the spinning stopped, he stared around him.
Far below him, stood Elizabeth, Meliodas, and Hawk. They looked so much smaller now. So did the trees! Everything looked smaller! But why? Was he flying? King reached to scratch his head when his hand ran along a soft, smooth, warm surface. He rubbed his hand along it, wondering what it was.
"Don't worry! You'll be safe from the bandit's in there! I'll deal with these guys!" A thunderous voice called from above. It was at this point that King realized something he hadn't before. He wasn't flying. No, indeed, he was not. He had instantaneously found himself a one-way ticket straight in between Diane's massive breasts.
His mind took a moment to register his surrounding. When it did, his face quickly turned beat red. His body temperature spiked to an all new level, and he found that he was beginning to sweat. Diane stared down at him, full of concern.
"What's wrong? You're sweating! You're so warm! Did they poison you? They did, didn't they!" She looked back at the three down at the ground. "What did you do?!" Diane demanded. In her hands, she held a giant warhammer, ready to squash the enemies before her.
Meliodas suddenly had an idea. Bringing his sword down, the Dragonborn sheathed his weapon. Elizabeth stared at him in shock.
"What are you doing?!" Meliodas brought her over, laying his arm on her shoulder. Hawk trotted over to the huddle.
"Guys, I don't think we can win if we fight her. Not only does she look tough, but she's also holding King hostage." Meliodas pointed out.
"Yeah, but what do we do? We can't just run!" Hawk protested. Meliodas nodded sincerely.
"Truly, we can't. But I've got an idea."
"What?" Elizabeth wondered. Meliodas grinned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"We'll bargain with her."
"With what?" Hawk questioned. Meliodas waved the pig off.
"Don't worry, I've got this." Breaking up the small huddle, the Dragonborn turned to face Diane once again. King remained frozen, not daring to move, and then again, not wanting to move. Meliodas took a step forward, bowing before her.
"Oh great giant, we mean no disrespect. We only ask that you return our friend to us, so that we may leave in peace." Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at Meliodas's obviously scripted acting. Diane huffed,
"How do I know you're not bandits, and you've poisoned this young man?" She accused. Meliodas struggled not to laugh. King giggled stupidly,
"Hehehe….p-poison? No…." Meliodas spoke up.
"Oh….that's not poison. But, ahem, how about we do, a trade, perchance?" Diane remained silent, staring down at the Dragonborn.
"What could you have that I could possibly want?" She challenged.
Without warning, Meliodas grabbed Hawk.
"We humbly offer you this pork as a sign of good will!"
"I'm not an offering you bastard!" Hawk squirmed and struggled in Meliodas's arms. Diane suddenly found her stomach growl, and her mouth water. It had been a long while since she had had anything to eat. Even longer since she had had pork. Her stance weakened, and she loosened her grip on the warhammer.
"P….Pork?" Hawk began struggling harder at the sight of hunger in Diane's eyes.
"Lemme go! Lemme go! I'm not food! NOT FOOD!"
"Hawk you're just going to have to take one for the team." Meliodas said calmly.
"I'm too young to die!" Hawk wailed. Diane reached out towards the pig, almost as if in a dream. She blinked, then shook her head, and retracted her hand.
"I'm not going to fall for any of that! That's probably poisoned too!" Meliodas sighed,
"You failed me Hawk."
"I did WHAT!" Hawk fumed.
"I see I have no choice. You won't stop until this man is dead. I'll have to stop you first, then. I'm sorry, it's nothing personal." Diane brought her warhammer, Gideon, into the air. Killing them wouldn't be too hard. The female seemed too frightened to even move, and the male seemed dumber than a rock. And the pig….well the pig would prove to be a delicious side dish! Meanwhile, King had snapped out of his trance. Realizing his friends were now in imminent danger, King struggled about in her bosom.
"No! Wait! NO! Stop!" Diane held her position, but did not bring down the hammer.
"Why? What's the matter? I'm saving you dammit!" King (reluctantly) pulled his way out of her shirt, and jumped off her chest. Before he crashed against the ground, a small poof of dark blue smoke popped under him, protecting him from smashing against the ground. When his foot touched the ground, the cloud dissipated. King quickly stood in between the two, bringing his arms out to shield his friends.
"They're actually my friends! You….you acted so quickly I didn't have time to explain!"
"I'm sure you took your sweet time." Meliodas quipped.
"Shut up!" King shot back, "Anyway, this is all just some big misunderstanding." Diane still looked skeptical.
"But what was with that fever you had a moment ago? You were burning up!" Meliodas was cracking up behind him, causing King to grow red from embarrassment.
"That wasn't a fever-"
"I said SHUT UP!" King rubbed the back of his neck nervously and laughed, "Haha, uh, yeah it was nothing. Ahem, anyways, uh, why don't you join us at our camp, and we can clear this whole thing up?" Diane rested the warhammer on the back of her shoulder and cocked an eyebrow. After a moment, she dropped her skepticism and smiled warmly.
"Yeah, sure. It's been awhile since I've eaten with company." Hawk scoffed,
"Maybe that's cause she ate them…." Although the small pig didn't know it, Diane's ears had surprisingly good range, and she had picked up the pigs comment. Humming to herself, the giantess tapped her chin thoughtfully,
"Hey, I can still have the pig though right?"
"EEEEK!" Hawk shrieked and hopped into Elizabeth's confused arms. Meliodas shrugged,
"Yeah, why not."
"MELIODAS!"
Author's note: Ok so, usually I like to avoid writing an afternote, but here it is. So, that was….fun. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter, because there was a good bit of comedy, and I hope it didn't seem….dry. Also, I just have to ask if you guys think I'm developing the characters well? Like if they're still in character? Meliodas is surprisingly hard for me to do. Maybe because I like King and Diane more, idk. I feel like King is the most developed character right now, but I'm trying to give them all a fair shot. Also, we just met Diane, and I hope you guys think I wrote her well. Anyway, that's what I gotta say, so see you guys next weekend.
PS: When I put the bolded name, and the little caption next to it, it's kinda a reference to those character entrances in Borderlands 2 and such. So, sometimes I'll throw in a little fun caption in there.