A/N: We apologize for the delay, but as you'll discover there was much to be done for this chapter. Please fasten your seatbelts and stow your tray tables as we prepare for our descent.
Leanna23: Oh, no no dude, this story will hurt you. Thank you. And we really do hope you like this chapter too.
MarianaBuBuLuBu: Yeah...
BettyBest2:You noticed that hammer, did you, hehehe. Yes, we are beginning to think if we do make a sequel it's just gonna be everyone sitting in therapy, petting puppies at this point.
sassykitten1701: yesyesyesyesyesyesyes we kind of can! Lynette? Hmmm
peacerockgirl123: *passes you a drink* you'll be needing this
Vhosek: Thank you love, both of us were screaming from start to finish. We are glad you liked it while simultaneously hating it with a passion lol. Please survive just a little while longer- we'll send you some tissues and hot chocolate. Stay strong
CaptainTwiggy0918: Yea, we really don't like to pull our punches- you noticed that did you? Yes, Lancelot was just as much Tristan's rock as he was his own. Ending well? Did we plan on ending this story happily, we don't remember saying that… **cue storm clouds, thunder and lightening**
Chapter twenty five: Never To Return
Tristan stands there, frozen, the air wheezing out of his lungs as everything seems to go by in slow motion; his mind taking everything into great detail as his sister pulls her sword from Lancelot's stomach.
She rips his side wide open as she twists the blade, blood spraying as it goes right through him before her arm yanks outwards, and someone screams- is it him? is it Jason?- but he can't even begin to figure it out, as all he can do is stare in shock as Lancelot's body falls hard to the ground, crumbling as his clothes and skin and the ground are painted red... as chunks go flying with Lynette's sabre.
No. No no no what was happening? That couldn't be- that wasn't-
Lancelot?
Tristan's face is ashen white, and he looks down to see that his entire body is shaking. He can't move- but the entire courtyard seems to erupt with people stumbling back in horrified disarray, others rushing forward as dozens of people just appear, Knights and maids and common civilians gasping and shouting and screaming.
Lancelot. Oh gods, Lancelot. Something starts to rise up in his throat, his neck tightening and slowly squeezing.
"Someone! Call for the physician!" The voices blend together, Tristan unable to focus on who is saying what.
"Was it a fight? An attack?"
"She just stabbed him!"
"The Princess, by gods she just-!"
"Your Highness, drop your weapon!"
Lynette steps over the body, over the reddening form of a coughing Lancelot, and she knocks his spear away with a hard kick that sends it flying off into the air. He can see knights drawing their swords around them, but she doesn't even look back as a maid rushes forward; faces that Tristan has seen his entire life filtering through the haze of his mind, and he watches Lancelot's expression crumble, as Lynette looks at her sword… before Lancelot's eyes close. There's more shouting, more screaming as Lynette walks calmly forward, someone bolting to Lancelot's side as they place a towel over his stomach, holding pressure over it and-
Tristan's eyes snap back up- she is looking at him, and they lock eyes; and suddenly his world, which had seemed to screech to a halt, comes forcefully rushing back to reality. Because she doesn't look bothered at all. She looks as if, as if Lancelot had annoyed her or something- had said something again that all of them found vexing or- or- and she…
She has blood spatter on her arm. Her eyes look to the side before she brings a hand up, rubbing a thumb over her cheek. "Huh," she says flatly as she whips a streak of red across her face.
She just killed Lancelot?
Lynette walks towards him, her eyes blank as she raises a brow, but she stops several steps away and says in a cold, hard voice that he barely recognizes, "Give me Jason."
He looks down and realizes he is gripping his brother's shirt. It had to have been Jason who was screaming, because there are tears coursing down his face, his skin red, but now his shouts are hiccuping sobs that lurch him in his brother's hold. Jason looks up at him with swollen eyes, clenching around Tristan's white knuckled and shaking grip with his own hands. "Lancelot!" Jason wails, and then he slaps his hands over his mouth as he lets loose another scream, curling into himself.
There is shouting around them, and when Tristan looks to the side he sees knights running towards them from across the yard, drawn by the body on the ground and the prince's screams. "Jason!" Lynette hollars, lunging forward, snapping his attention back. "Give him back!"
"Go!" Tristan shouts, his voice suddenly coming back as he pushes his brother with all of his strength, pulling his sword at the same time. The sound of a weapon meeting another clangs loudly as Jason squawks, landing on his rear a few feet away. Tristan whirls on Lynette; the rest of the knights are now close enough to see what has happened, and they are drawing their own weapons upon her. "Your Highness!" one is shouting. "Put down your weapons!"
Someone lunges at Lynette's side, a large sword aimed downwards, and another man is giving a war cry as Tristan ducks low, her sabre swinging over his head as her hammer deflects and sends a knight in full armor over the heads of another two men. Her sword just grazes the tips of his hair before he relaxes the grip on his weapon, just enough to get feeling back into his shaking fingers- seeing the more experienced and powerful Holy Knights taking charge and forcing his sister on the defensive. Lynette hops back with a hiss of annoyance, none of the Holy Knights' weapons meeting their mark, and it looks like she is leaning to drop her own as they are finally surrounded. But instead, to his horror, she swings her hammer to the side, calling out something he doesn't understand.
The knights go flying as he shouts, raising his arms to shield his face as a massive wave of power surges outwards, whipping him around as his feet slide on the ground; and her attack sends everyone crashing into the ground or the gates or into the adjacent building.
She just killed Lancelot.
Jason screams again, high pitched and terrified as Tristan's head whips around, seeing him take off running towards the gates. Lynette starts after him, but through a haze of red Tristan moves, bringing his sword around in an attack- twisting and ducking before he lands in front of her. He catches her off-guard, giving him a moment's advantage and that is all he needs, sending a flurry of swipes with his sword that Lynette barely blocks with the hammer.
He manages to force her back, disarming her of her sword, which is flung away to the ground with a clatter. She shouts something and swings the hammer at him- surprise on her face- using both hands to put force behind it, but Tristan sees it coming.
A flash of heat under his skin that is now becoming familiar burns across his forehead.
She killed Lancelot!
He feels a sudden surge of power that is addicting and dangerous, and before he even realizes it he has dodged the hammer and delivered a kick to Lynette's side. She stumbles with a pained gasp, her legs buckling as spittle flies from her mouth, and she hacks in a breath. He then uses the opportunity to slam his elbow into her neck- following through with all his weight as her body goes up and over, slamming into the ground.
Then he is on top of her with a loud yell ripping from his throat, throwing his sword away in a haze of rage as he gives her a series of blows in succession. Over and over and over, his knuckles screaming as he hits her, and he would have lost count if he was keeping track. He is gasping for breath between a flurry of curses and incoherent screams, practically snarling as a tight grip lands on his shoulder, his fingers somehow at one point wrapping around her neck and squeezing- and someone is yanking him back before he pulls his hands away. The armored grip of a Holy Knight wraps around him and pulls. Then he's stumbling up- someone is saying "Enough!"- but his legs are shaking and he can't get enough air as he races over to Lancelot, tripping over his own feet.
He crashes to his knees on the ground, reaching out for his friend's shoulders- his brother's shoulders, gripping him and giving him a hard shake. "Lancelot, come on," he croaks harshly, but as Tristan's eyes travel down he can see the mess of blood and gore in the center of his body. He looks back at Lancelot's face, taking in the way his skin is pale, his chest unmoving, his eyes only half closed and staring at nothing, his body completely light and limp in his hands as he shakes him again and again. The rage he had unleashed against Lynette is melting away rapidly, and now Tristan is filled with a terrible grief.
Lancelot is dead. It hits him fully then, something snapping inside of him as a great cry rips from his throat, boiling hot tears hovering in the edges of his eyes before tipping over. Never before has he felt this much; and he chokes back a silent sob, giving Lancelot another weak shake as he trembles, curling around him, hugging the smaller man to his chest as he sobs, the tears burning.
A part of him is convinced it's a dream or a joke, that Lancelot is going to pop an eye open and laugh. He clings to a fading hope that he and Lynette had this planned the whole time.
Or maybe it's that- that this is just him going insane. That it is just the curse making him see things and Lancelot is fine, he's fine. He is fine-
Something crashes into the side of his head, so hard the world blurs as he's thrown, blood immediately filling his mouth as Tristan sees stars and white. He is flung backwards with a crack, the earth giving way under his body as stone breaks under his shoulder. He skids across the grounds, spinning and rolling before coming to a stop with a pained intake of air.
"I'm surprised at you, Tristan," Lynette says lazily, giving him a sound kick in the back, crashing her boot into his spine as she appears above him. He rolls away from the force, his head absolutely screaming as he leaves a trail of blood under her shoe. "Didn't anyone teach you not to turn your back on the enemy?"
He tries to catch his breath as she tilts her head to the side, her bruised and bloody face annoyed as she kicks him again. His eyes blur over as she strikes him in the ribs this time, once, twice, then when he feels the bones give way her boot smashes against his temple and swings his head to the other side- and he finally sees why no one was pulling them apart again.
The ground is covered with scattered pieces of knights, those who were still moving struggling to stand, and the man who had tried to calm him down, who had pulled him off his sister so he wouldn't kill her, he is missing both his legs. Tristan's stomach heaves, the edges of his vision spotted with black dots, and he tries to roll to his side, tries to get up or away as he looks up at her.
Her lips are twisted upwards, her eyes bright and she is watching him with great satisfaction, her foot coming down on his head and his chest and his neck... which only infuriates him more. His head is spinning, from the blows and from confusion, that she could be doing this- why is she doing this?- but he knows he needs to move- her foot crushing his hand and breaking his fingers under her metal toed boots- he needs to get his sword that he foolishly threw away, and get up and stop her. The need to hurt her, to see her as broken and bloody, to give back ten times what she did to Lancelot is overwhelming and terrifying.
Meliodas isn't so much as watching Elizabeth out of the corner of his eye, as he and the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins debate where to begin their search for whatever this thing is, as he is simply hyper aware of her. He needs to pay close attention so that he can give orders and listen to plans, but each time she shifts in her chair, or plays with her earring, or presses her hands together, his entire back stiffens or turns towards her, as he waits for another episode to strike.
It wasn't an if, at this point, it was a when and now that even Tristan-
He stops thinking, looking back to the large table which has a map of Lioness stretched across it as he drums his finger against the wood. The war room hasn't been used for quite some time, but none of them were rusty. So, he will not think about that.
Her hand moves to the back of her neck after another minute, slowly rubbing the mark that is there as she looks to the side. By her far off look he knows she must be she is thinking of all the information that they have just learned. Speaking steadily, Meliodas reaches out and gives her shoulder a tight squeeze, his eyes still trained on the map as they put down more markers, and he glances in the corner of his eye as she shivers slightly. His fingers, moving slowly, slide around her shoulder and under her dress collar, to the back of her neck, tracing his fingertips against the mark he knows is hidden beneath her hair.
"Merlin," he says suddenly, cutting off Diane who is half grumbling, half debating their intended route around the kingdom with Gowther, "do you know anything more about the mark?"
The mage lifts her chin slightly, sitting cross-legged on the table with scrolls around her. "It's an ancient symbol, both of them, dating back from before there was a Lioness." One of the scrolls comes undone, unrolling to show vaguely the same hammer-like symbol surrounded by strange illegible texts, hovering over her head. Elizabeth squints, as more scrolls float upwards and unroll, all to show different versions of both the noose and the hammer's head. "They are far from when Britannia first began. Unfortunately, I can't find exactly what it means, since my books are gone."
"Ah, an extremely thorough and effective crippling attack against you, then." Gowther pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one finger, and Merlin looks over at him, her golden eyes narrowing. "Whoever attacked you in Camelot must have been aware of how close you were to possibly finding unwanted secrets."
"Damn asshole," Ban grunts, his own face shadowing as he thinks back to the explosion, Diane nodding fervently next to him.
Escanor shifts in his corner, his size having expanded since their discussion had began a little while after daybreak. "When we find this wretched thing, we'll have all the answers we want." his eyes curve upwards into a smile, as he brings his teacup up, tiny in his now large hands, to take a delicate sip.
"Sure. Fair enough," Meliodas says, his fingers skimming over the line of her hair and skin, rubbing circles with his thumb as a shiver goes down her back, making her squirm in her seat. "We need to move into teams. While the rest of us search for whatever this is, I want Merlin and Gowther to stay with Tristan. Jason too. This Boogeyman- whatever he is- needs to be kept as far away from them as possible."
There's a murmur of agreement around the room, and Meliodas looks around to see if Tristan heard this, turning towards the door, and realizes that all of the children are gone. Gilthunder is there, with his arm still crossed and he raises a brow at the king's frown, and Meliodas wonders where the hell they had all gone off to- again.
Merlin continues, her scrolls snapping shut audibly, "It will be interesting to watch as Tristan's symptoms develop. We've never been able to observe the moment the curse strikes. What happens when the person there is replaced with the person now." Her eyes flicker towards Elizabeth, who glances downwards, a bit nervous as she looks down at her hands, and Merlin looks downright cheerful at the prospect. "What happens to everything? To his spirit, to his magic? I'll have to be sure to have a Balor's Eye trained on him-"
"Yes," Meliodas huffs in annoyance, cutting her off pre-rant; seeing the almost literal stars in her eyes as she starts thinking out loud. "Let's just stay focused on stopping the curse, before that happens." He forces his last words out while giving Merlin a stern look, and she pouts. The others begin to discuss where to start the search, and Meliodas uses his fingers to gently tilt Elizabeth's face up towards his. "I want you to stay here too. If you have another episode, I don't want you to be alone."
"If you want me to stick around Elizabeth, I'm here." Diane speaks up, standing next to them with a gentle look, and she grabs Elizabeth's hands and squeezes it tight. "You can't let this guy get away with everything!" she smiles brightly as she tilts her head in Meliodas direction, the king giving her a half-lidded bored look as Elizabeth finally cracks a small smile.
"Is that all? I can't help somehow?" Elizabeth sighs. "I feel fine. I haven't had any troubles at all."
Diane frowns. "Well, I don't think anyone wants you going up against this guy." She looks back at Meliodas. "She's doing so much better since her last attack, Captain. Could she come?"
Elizabeth can see the doubt on his face, but then Merlin says, "You know, I was wondering about that, Your Grace." They both look at the mage, who is looking back at Elizabeth thoughtfully. "After your breakdown in Barsil, it would only make sense for your mental state to deteriorate rapidly. And yet… here you are." She punctuates the last bit with a gorgeous smile.
Meliodas narrows his eyes. "Rather harsh there, Merlin," he mutters, but Elizabeth says, "I can't explain it. I've felt completely… myself. I can remember everything clearly again."
"Remarkable," she mutters, stepping closer as she stands over the sitting woman, leaning over to see her closer. "Was this from the attack?"
"No, actually…" Elizabeth shakes her head as she thinks. "Actually, it was when I- when I met Jason." Meliodas' eyebrows shoot up at her declaration, before he frowns deeply.
Jason, again. He brings a hand up to his hair as Elizabeth looks up at the mage- straightening his tilted crown- and Merlin is seemingly eager by the news as his eyes glance over to Ban, who is dramatically using some papers to wave at his sweating face, grumbling as he stands by Escanor.
Merlin's eyes seem to gleam. "The prince seems to be quite tangled up in this, doesn't he?"
"Do you really think he's in trouble?" Diane asks, wearing her lower lip in her teeth in worry. "He's just a kid…"
"What are you getting at?" asks Meliodas, but Merlin just shrugs. "It's hard to say," she says, closing her eyes with a smile, "But he predicts the curse, we know that for certain. And now it seems like he can affect it as well. He can soothe the symptoms… when so many others have failed."
Elizabeth nods in agreement. "When I healed his arm, he tried to heal me too. He thought I was sick, Tristan told him that. He had brought me soup." Meliodas sees a smile cross her face, and he can't help but smile a bit himself, remembering. "And when he used his healing, I remembered. I remembered everything. It was all so clear."
"Well, that makes sense, doesn't it?" says Meliodas. "If Jason is a healer-"
"No it doesn't," Merlin interjects. "So is Elizabeth, and her powers, the powers of an actual Apostle, could not affect this strong of a curse."
"Does that mean…?" Elizabeth swallows. "Could Jason really be a source of all of this?"
"No." Merlin shakes her head. "This is too powerful for someone of his age and ability. His magic… What I suspect is that his power does not work the way I first believed it did."
Meliodas frowns, wondering what she means…
He does not get the opportunity to ask her, however, because at that moment an explosion and a shockwave hit their building from outside.
The glass in the windowpanes bursts into splinters, the outer wall vibrating so hard it all but lifts them off the floor. Meliodas is moving in an instant, pulling Elizabeth, tightly against him and turning his body to protect her from harm. The glass and rocks pelt off him and knocks down furniture, the table shaking so hard it tilts and crashes over. Meliodas hears a hissed, "Not again," as Ban snaps a hand out to catch a large vase from crashing to the floor. They are moving to the windows as Gilthunder shouts, the doors to the room flying open as the two guards on the other side stumble in.
"An attack?!" Gilthunder is already drawing himself up into the posture of the Great Holy Knight, throwing an arm outwards to bark out commands at the wide eyed and clearly young recruits sputtering behind them. "Get everyone to their stations! Immediately!" he shouts, hurrying from the room, the guards at his heels.
Their eyes dart around the smoke, the atmosphere tense as they wait for it to clear, to see what had caused the blast, and Meliodas, who has still not moved with his arm around Elizabeth stands upright- fairly certain there wouldn't be another explosion, at least for now. He keeps his wife securely against him, frowning as he feels her tremble. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," she gasps. "I'm- I'm fine. But, but Sir Meliodas, where are the children?" Her anxious eyes search his, before darting to the open doors of the room, but he gives her a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, three of them are Holy Knights, remember? Jason is safe with them. I need you to stay with me, don't run off. Okay?"
"Hey Captain," Ban says from the window when Elizabeth goes to say something. "You might want to take a look at this, first."
Meliodas looks over his shoulder, pulling Elizabeth with him to see, unwilling to let her go just yet. "What is it? Can you see what-?"
His question is cut short as he looks out, the grounds visible, and sees for himself what caused the blast. It's Tristan and Lynette. They are fighting violently in the training yard- ripping it apart with magic and explosive swings of their swords.
There is shouting, so loud they can hear them eight stories up in the castle, as Holy Knights run next to them, trying to keep up with the two as they sprint and spin and lunge. They watch as more offensive attacks are thrown through the air, hearing the Holy Knights shouting and missing Lynette and Tristan by mere seconds as they too swing in with their weapons drawn, before someone literally tries to get between them- and is hurled away.
There is a flash of hot anger that rolls up his spine as his eyes narrow, and he doesn't catch the harsh curse that passes through his lips. Elizabeth jerks in his arms as King and Diane shout something next to him, and he pulls his crown off his head and places it on the windowsill.
Ban whistles as both of them swing again, their blades clashing with a shockwave that blows back the others, again, before Lynette raises her second weapon and slams it into the ground- and the area around her buckles, the force throwing men and women in armor through the air. The ground is now a hole where she stands and Tristan, who had been thrown back as well, twists in the air to land on his feet, before he lets out a scream and rushes right back at her.
"What are they doing?" Diana calls out, worried as she looks over to the gate. One of the walls of the outer walls is heavily damaged- that's what caused the blast, Meliodas thinks- and there are- there are bodies on the ground around them, scattered wherever his eyes darted around.
"Goddamn it," he shouts. What the hell are they doing? They aren't all home a day and-
"Yo," Ban points, "Look."
The angry father inside him melts away as he follows Ban's finger… and suddenly it is replaced by a devastating dread. When he takes in the stance of the Knights around the two of them, the body language of them all... he realizes in that moment that they are really fighting, the kind in which you are protecting your life and your home with everything you have. This isn't a squabble between siblings, this isn't a sparring session between comrades. Nor is it one of the countless arguments that he or Elizabeth had to mediate, when the competitions between his kids would get a little too serious. This isn't it. Twice he can remember when they had actually fought for real, one or both of them throwing insults that led to throwing punches: once when they were just kids, the prince and princess rolling around pulling hair and kicking and biting viciously, and it took three guards to pull them apart, to the mortification of their tutor; and another time, when they were young teenagers, right after their powers had begun to truly emerge, both ending up with broken bones, Tristan with a deep wound in his side, and their mother not speaking to them for a week.
Those memories, however, are nothing like this… now they are really trying to kill each other.
He grabs his weapon before he quickly secures it over his shoulder, saying as he looks at Elizabeth, "Stay here." His tone is final, and she nods, letting go of his forearm that she had been clutching tightly. "King, Diane, Gowther, come with me. This could be Tristan's curse. The rest of you just wait here." There are no arguments, and is he is out the window with one leap, landing easily on the ground, the other three following right behind; and he takes off across the yard in a flash, calling for them to stop.
There is shouting for him from every direction, his knights clearly relieved as the crowd parts as he darts into the fight. But his two children take no notice, neither listening as their weapons clash- is that a war hammer?- the blows coming so furiously that they are moving like a blur.
Then Lynette goes flying with an enraged scream, sailing backwards through the air, and she slams into another section of the castle wall, brick and stone exploding out and raining down on them. Meliodas shouts, skidding around the showering debris and he throws an arm out- yanking Tristan out of the way of a large chunk of wall before it can fall on his head.
Meliodas looks up towards the remaining wall… but her body does not fall, and when he can finally see through the plume of dust, he finds his daughter trapped by a giant spear. She is run through, screaming in pain and frustration, grabbing onto the handle and trying to yank it out. The middle tine has pierced the side of her abdomen, slicing right through her body, while the two on either side are dug into the brick wall of the castle. Meliodas is beyond furious now: he is livid that his children would do this, would cause so much harm to each other, and her shouts and the sight of blood seeping from her stomach lighting a fire under him. It is coupled with the horror of what is happening to his son, the one thing he never wanted to happen. All he can think about is that mark on Tristan's forehead, and terror sits inside his stomach like a hot, heavy stone, because he knows what it means. He knows Tristan is the cause of all this.
He yanks Tristan around by the shoulders. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Meliodas yells, grasping his arm and wrenching him closer. Tristan stumbles with the unexpected force, and when he looks at his father, Meliodas jerks back himself at the sight of the swirling mark on his forehead, his suspicions seemingly confirmed. "Tristan? What have you-?"
"It's her!" Tristan practically snarls, yanking his arms away, and stands face to face with him. "She did this! She killed Lancelot!"
Meliodas spins his head around to look at his daughter, who is still pinned to the wall by a giant spear- which he realizes now is- Arondight? What is happening?
"Are you certain that is the princess?" Gowther says at Meliodas' side, the king twitching as the Sin of Lust appears. "Her power level is fluctuating dramatically, and it is proving difficult to tell who exactly killed the Fairy King."
"Of course it's her! Help me!" Meliodas shouts, but Gowther tilts his head to the side and points a finger at where Lynette struggles against Arondight. The blood pools down her clothes, running down her legs and it hurts him to see it. "Are you certain you wish to assist her, Captain?" he asks. "It appears that the only way to contain such a magic is with a Spirit Spear. Releasing it will set free more than just your daughter."
He watches in horror as she screams into the air, trying to yank the spear out that has her pinned to the wall, and Meliodas decides it doesn't matter what the hell Gowther is talking about, and he takes off again, jumping with a great leap up to Lynette. He grabs the handle of the spear and pulls, feeling it resist him as he pushes off the wall with his feet, and his teeth grind. Damn it, where the hell is Lancelot? Will he never learn to control this thing?
Then Meliodas remembers Tristan's words- She killed Lancelot!- and he grunts as the spear slowly slides free, resisting with all its might as the blade slides free from his screaming daughter stomach.
Both he and Lynette drop to the ground as Meliodas tosses the spear away. "Lynette?" he cries, holding her up in panic as her own arms wrap around her abdomen. "Are you alright?! What is going on?" She is covered in blood and bruises, her blond hair brown with dirt, her clothes and skin dirty and streaked, and when she looks up at him, he is startled not to see her familiar blue eyes. The eyes that meet his are black.
"Thanks, dad," she says with a sickening smile.
She puts her hand out, and like a fool he looks down to see what she offers. A flash of bright white power explodes from her palm, and Meliodas is thrown backwards before he can think of pulling his sword. He lands hard on his back, the wind knocked out of him, and his first thought is that he has not been hit like that in a long, long time. He rolls onto his stomach, pushing up on his hands and knees; but when he goes to move, he finds he is trapped.
There is something surrounding him, something hard but invisible. It reminds him of Merlin's Perfect Cube, only the power that is surging around him is very, very menacing. Meliodas punches at the wall, once, twice, pounding his fists again and again, but nothing happens, not even a crack. His eyes fly wildly to Lynette, who is watching him with a cruel smile, the edge of her lips all wrong. How could she have learned to do this? She wasn't a mage. Only a powerful witch could keep him trapped like this.
"Lynette!" he screams. "Stop this!" Behind her he can see Tristan approaching, the mark on his forehead positively pulsing with energy. He watches as Lynette turns, swinging the hammer, and the two lock together again, the roar of their weapons deafening. Tristan thrusts his sword, narrowly missing as he tries to run her through, and Lynette spins, bearing her own sword down on him, which he blocks with his arm. Meliodas' mouth drops open in horror, his stomach twisting. They are both fighting to kill, and he can do nothing to stop it.
Elizabeth stands as close to the window as she dares, watching as Meliodas sprints across the yard. "What the hell has gotten into those two?" Ban grumbles next to her.
"Have they… do they…?" Elizabeth swallows as she turns to look at the others, but only Merlin meets her gaze. "No, Your Grace," she answers. "They've never done this before. And the power that they are putting out now… it's almost as if-"
"Is that Arondight?" Ban suddenly snaps, as Elizabeth's eyes go back to Meliodas. There is another explosion, rock and dust flying everywhere. Then he is pulling something out of the wall, yanking it free, and he and Lynette fall to the ground. She clutches her hands together in front of her mouth as the two stand for a moment… and then jumps as Ban screams, "Lancelot! Lancelot!"
She sees it too, through the dust of the newest explosion. King is hovering over a body on the ground, Diane crouched and shaking it, and the Spirit Spear flies through the air, laying to rest next to the body. "He's hurt! Lancelot!" Ban shouts, trying to catch their attention, before his red eyes look over to her.
Elizabeth gasps as a hand grabs her arm painfully. "He's hurt, let's go," Ban grounds out, but as he is about to follow the others out the window with Elizabeth in tow, Merlin steps in their way. "Don't you fucking-!"
"You can't take the queen out there," Merlin says. Her voice is low, and soothing, but even Elizabeth can hear the edge of warning. "It's too dangerous."
"Get the fuck out of my way," Ban yells, and then swings his free arm, his fist aimed straight for her. Elizabeth shouts for him to stop, trying to pull away.
His blow does not land, however, because Escanor catches his fist in a firm grip. "Don't do that," he warns, his voice deepening, his body expanding as he pushes them backwards.
Ban snarls like a wild thing. Escanor releases his fist, and before Elizabeth can blink Ban brings his elbow down, crashing into the side of the Lion Sin's head. Escanor takes a step to the side, stumbling a bit, and Ban uses the opportunity to kick him in the stomach, sending the growing man out the window.
He gives Merlin a shove to the side for good measure and he leaps out himself, still gripping the queen's arm tightly. Elizabeth tries to scream as they fall, but the rushing wind takes her breath away. Ban catches her before she crashes to the ground, and then he is half-pulling, half-dragging her across the yard, sprinting to where King is shouting over Lancelot's body.
"This isn't supposed to happen!" King's voice is in hysterics, shrill and piercing, "Why! Why?!"
When they arrive, Ban shoves Diane out of the way before falling down to his own knees, Lancelot laid out on the ground right in front of him, as his father grabs him up. "What happened?! Lancelot! Lancelot!" Ban yells, shaking the boy before bringing a hand up to his hair, tilting his head up. He looks over his shoulder at Elizabeth, who is watching with her hand clutched over her mouth, and snarls, "Help him!"
"Elizabeth, please, please," Diane cries, choking back a heaving sob as she grabs her wrist and pulls her desperately forward. "He's not breathing, he's not moving." Elizabeth tries to shake herself from her daze, hurrying around to land on the ground in front of Ban, who has taken him into his lap, and Elizabeth swallow a heavy feeling in her throat. But even then, she knows what this sinking feeling in her stomach means.
He truly looks so small in his father's arm, just a little boy. There is still a large towel over his abdomen, but as her shaking hands peel it back- as Ban makes a broken sound while the wound underneath is uncovered- her hands going out over the boy's still form; she knows. She moves them along the length of his torso, hovering with a jerk over the area of his heart. But there is too much blood, too much missing. His color is gray, his chest won't move, and Elizabeth knows there is no bringing him back. She can not bring him back.
She chokes on a sob, jerking her hands back to cover her face.
She looks up at Ban through her tears, but the Fox Sin just sits there. He doesn't change, there aren't tears and his face doesn't crumbles; he sits there unmoving on the ground as Diane let's out sob after sob, as King tilts his head upwards towards the sky, rolling tears overflowing his cheeks. His fingers just clench open and shut in the boy's ripped shirt, smoothing back his hair. There is a terrible silence then, and Elizabeth weeps into her hands, her shoulders shaking. She tries to get a hold of herself, but the sight of Ban's blank expression, the silent, unnoticed tears finally beginning that slowly slide down his cheeks, it is more devastating than if he was crying and screaming and cursing the world outright. But, then King's voice snaps her out of it.
"They did this," he says menacingly from above them, and she looks up at him sharply. She had never heard his voice so filled with- with- with this much rage, utterly filled to the point of agony and devastation, and horrifyingly vengeful. Her own horror is momentarily forgotten as the Fairy King hovers above them, his entire body stiff, his hands clenched and his head bowed low.
A powerful violence rolls off of him, and Elizabeth gasps as she realizes what he meant by they. "S-Sir King," Elizabeth voice cracks, but King just lifts his face barely, his eyes facing towards where Tristan and Lynette are fighting once again, and he says, "I'll kill them both."
"No." Ban says, very very blandly, "not if I do." His voice rips into a horrid snarl at the end, and he slowly climbs to his feet- laying Lancelot's back down with all the care, gently placing him at his feet. Elizabeth scrambles up after him, reaching out to grab his jacket. "No! No, please wait- Please don't do this!" her voice rises in her panic, but he makes no sign he hears her, and without a word Ban flicks his arm out.
Elizabeth cries out as she is knocked backwards, slamming into the ground uncaringly by the powerful Fox Sin, who swats her away as if she is no more than a fly. She lands in a heap on the ground, trying not to panic as Diane leaps towards her, holding her up by the shoulders, "Elizabeth! Are you ok?!" The shrunken giant whirls around, tears still going down her cheeks as she snarls, "You could've really hurt her!" They aren't listening, Ban racing towards the prince and princess, King appearing to simply disappear to Elizabeth's eyes. "Ban! King!" Diane calls for them to stop before taking off right behind them.
"Stop!" Elizabeth looks around wildly, trying to figure out what to do, wondering where is Meliodas? Then, another thought hits her:
Where is Jason?
No… no no no…
The fear grows rapidly as she stays frozen on the ground, her hands trembling, helplessly watching as the others begin fighting. Dirt and rocks go flying as Lynette hits Tristan with a burst of magic, and he flies back and slams into the ground with a cry; meanwhile, King shouts a command from above, Chastiefol transforming into dozens of small blades that go whizzing towards both of them.
She easily swings her giant hammer around with an annoyed tilt of the head, not even looking as she stops them in place, and King yells in surprise, his hand extending for another attack as he rises higher- but then Ban leaps forward, aiming a series of kicks at her; his face twisted and dark as Lynette dodges, allowing only a few to land on her arms or the handle of her hammer before she thrusts the weapon forward with a speed that blurs, hitting him hard enough in the chest to cave it in, and throws him back across the yard to land with a plume of smoke by the gates.
"Lynette! Stop!" she screams, frenzied as she stumbles up. Elizabeth hears Meliodas' voice echo hers suddenly, and she turns and spies him trapped inside the shifting field of magic. "Meliodas!" she gasps, scrambling to her feet and towards him- but then Merlin is there, appearing with a teleport and steps in front of her, stopping her.
"Stay here, Elizabeth," she says sternly, but Elizabeth clutches the mage, frantically saying, "Meliodas! Please help him! They are going to kill…" She can't bring herself to say it.
"I would not advise advancing, Princess." Gowther is there too, but thankfully Merlin nods to Elizabeth's plea and moves away with another order for her to stay put.
Unsure of what to do or how to help, she watches a scene of chaos unfolding. Escanor has joined the fight, as he and Diane try to stop Lynette's attacks while also trying to stop Ban from ripping her apart. The three groups cross path as Diane pleads with King, using creation to force stone in their way just as one of Lynette's hits her in the back, the force knocking her several yards, before she crashes into King. Escanor steps forward, swinging his axe towards Lynette. She takes the blow across her back, falling to one knee with a spay of blood; then she thrusts her sabre out, calling, "Retaliation." with an annoyed huff.
Escanor is flung back to his utter surprise, despite her weapon barely glancing him; and Lynette slowly climbs to her feet, her eyes dark and her scowl cruel.
How? Elizabeth wonders. How can she be so powerful?
They try over and over to stop her, but somehow Lynette blocks every attack, sending out her own over and over, engaging in combat with Ban and Escanor and whatever unfortunate knights manage to get close enough. One by one she drives them back, until they are scattered across the yard, struggling to regroup as she rocks the ground again with a strike of her hammer.
She's fighting against the Seven Deadly Sins. She's fighting and winning.
But, it is Tristan again, finally moving now, who manages to stand and approach with the others sidelined. "Targeted Strike," he says, his voice sending a chill through Elizabeth, and he holds his sword out in front of him, a massive bolt of energy forming along the length of the blade. Elizabeth shouts for him to stop, but instead he snaps the tip of the sword at Lynette, the attack flying and burning everything it came across, before hitting the girl head-on and sending her crashing backwards.
Everything is still for a moment as the attacks stop flying, a eerie quiet causing Elizabeth's ears to ring from the thunderous blow. She raises an arm to cover her face, peering through the dust to see if Lynette survived as her entire body trembles.
The only thing she can see is Tristan, standing perfectly straight as he slowly lowers his sword, his back to her.
She rushes forward, calling his name as her voice cracks, and as she reaches him she grabs hold of his torn shirt. "Tristan? Tristan?" she hisses, her hands cupping his face, pulling it down to look at hers. His eyes are dark and blank for a moment, and she whispers harshly, "Tristan? Are you hurt?"
He blinks a few times as she swipes his hair back with fretting hands, and then he shakes off the haze, his eyes finally focusing back into the familiar blue as he finally sees her. "Mom?" his voice is hoarse, cracking at the ending. "Mom, I- Lynette- she-" His chest shakes as he rapidly tries to draw breath, and Elizabeth presses her energy forward in order to calm him.
"It's okay," she says firmly. "Are you hurt?"
"No- no, but Lancelot- he's dead." His eyes go wide, shining wildly as he tries to look around, and Elizabeth nods, her fingers brushing against his skin to soothe him as he jerks against her touch.
"I know," she whispers, and Tristan's face crumbles. "Did I kill her?" he finally wails, trying to look over Elizabeth's shoulder but she shakes her head, unable and unwilling to look for herself just yet as she squeezes him close.
Tristan wheezes, his hands going to her wrist to push her away, but Elizabeth calls to him sharply. "Tristan! Don't!" His eyes return to hers and she asks, "Where is Jason?"
He gasps, his breathing coming in short intakes before shaking his head. "I don't- I don't know," he stammers.
"I do hate demons."
Elizabeth flinches at the hisses breath, and she can feel Tristan stiffen against her as she finally turns around.
"Don't worry," Lynette's voice calls to them. Her daughter, who is so beautiful and strong and kind, glares at them savagely. She is covered in darkness now: her clothes and armor the color of black tar, her blue eyes focused into little black orbs, even her long blonde hair, blowing wildly around her, now the color of night sky. But there is no demon mark, none that Elizabeth can see, and she wonders again, how?
"Lynette!" Meliodas is screaming from inside his prison, pounding on the walls. "Don't do this! Please!"
"You asked about Jason?" she continues, ignoring him completely, and Tristan steps protectively in front of Elizabeth. "Don't worry about him, Mommy." She chuckles cruelly then, her head tilting a bit with a mocking snort. "Of course, you're not our mother, are you? Just another piece to be pulled out and knocked over to make sure this entire place falls." She brings a hand up, waving it around with an air of lazy boredom.
"What did you do with him?" Tristan shouts wildly.
Lynette narrows her eyes on him. "I can't believe you're still alive." She brings a hand up to her forehead, poking right above her right eyebrow, "I guess you got more of the demon than I did, after all. How annoying." Her fingers slide along the hilt of her hammer. "I guess I should have picked you for help. I will take good care of Jason. He's been a help to me this long, I would never let my precious child be taken from me. Not ever again."
"What does she mean?" Elizabeth gasps softly, her mind whirling, but from the corners of her eyes she can see the others moving, Ban standing with a growl, his body finally healed from the terrible battering he had taken. Diane stumbles up, with a tight hold on King's arm.
"You're dead," Ban says over the yard, and she laughs, "So eager to join your son, are you?" her eyes move to the side, the movement as wrong as the rest of her, and she smiles brightly, making fake weeping sounds, "Oh Lancelot, Lancelot Lancelot."
Ban shouts as he runs towards her, ignoring Meliodas yells for him to stop- but before he can reach her Lynette holds out the hammer, slamming the ending of the staff into the ground.
A ringing sound overwhelms them, as energy shoots out, covering them like a blanket. Elizabeth cries out, a twisting, shooting pain searing up her neck, and she falls to her knees, nearly blind with the feeling of fire under her skin.
"Mom!" Tristan shouts, trying to pull her up as he wraps his body around her, and Elizabeth leans back, her fingers digging into the searing mark, her eyes swimming with tears as she looks up at Lynette. Her figure shifting and swimming in her vision, before the energy swims around them- blocking the world out.
"Since you're all so interested in fighting," she says, "then I'll be happy to oblige you."
Then, the world shifts. The tugging is back, yanking Elizabeth so hard that she feels as though her very soul will be pulled out through her neck. The wind is whipping around them, roaring in her ears, and she can hear the others shouting, cursing and throwing out attacks that hit nothing even as Lynette laughs. "Mom! Hold on!" Tristan yells, his hands gripping her tightly, before it all stops.
After a moment, Elizabeth opens her eyes. She is looking down, but instead of the grass of the training yard, there is just dirt and rock on the ground. She looks around, the air suddenly choking, thick with dust, instead of the cool air of the autumn morning- and the other Knights are gone, only the nine of them standing here. And it is dark, so dark, the midmorning sun gone, replaced by a scattering of stars and the moon in the sky, which is now night.
What? Her heart thunders in her chest, wondering if it is happening again, if she is slipping away, maybe for good this time. She cries out in fear, but the hands are still there, holding her shoulders, and Tristan's face looms in her vision, his eyes just as wide and confused as her own. "Mom? Are you alright?"
"What happened?" she's trembling, turning as she pulls her hand from her neck, everything groggy. The other are there too, climbing to their feet in confusion, Meliodas still trapped inside the cage of magic. But... Lynette is gone.
"Where did that bitch go?" Ban snarls, as Diane shouts, "Where are we?"
"Hey," King says. "This looks… familiar."
They all pause, looking around. Then something flashes in the sky, and they all look up.
Seven streaks of light flash across the darkness, looking like falling stars before they crash into the ground. The group instinctively pulls together, and then Meliodas shouts, "No! Get out of here!" She turns and looks at him as he yells, "Someone get Elizabeth out of here, now!"
The terror in his voice and on his face causes her panic to come roaring back. "Oh no," Merlin breathes beside her, and Elizabeth turns and follows her gaze.
There, standing in the dust settling in the moonlight, stand the Ten Commandments.