A/N: Lickitysplit here, writing my final A/N for this story. There is only one more chapter left to go, and Woundedowl has graciously allowed me space to say my farewell.

Six months ago, Woundedowl sent me a message about an idea she had for a new story, and that message was the start of a strange and amazing journey. Writing with Woundedowl wasn't always easy, but it was always fun, and inspiring, and something I wouldn't trade for anything. I have learned so much from her during the course of this story, about writing and about myself; I am a better writer and a better friend today because of her.

So it is with a very bittersweet feeling, and a few tears, that I offer her my deepest thanks for allowing me to be a part of this. I wish we had another 30 chapters so I could have all the space I needed to express my gratitude and awe for my dear friend.

I also must thank all of you for reading. It was truly an honor for so many people to read and comment on this story, that we really thought no one but us would even find interesting. Your support throughout this was so invaluable, and I feel humbled to have been a part of it.

Rainstorm2122: Thank you so much for your enthusiasm! It was so hard to keep a lid on Lancelot's return and Jason's ability for sure, and we can only hope it paid off in the end.

Whitangel: You're welcome!

BettyBest2: It seems in NNT at least, characters don't stay dead for long… so who are we to argue with Nakaba? I'm glad you are happy Lancelot is back, although I doubt anyone is as happy as Woundedowl. Yes, Meliodas and Elizabeth do seem to make some powerful babies. Here's hoping they stop at three. We're so glad you loved the chapter, especially since we both love you to pieces.

Peacerockgirl123: Wow! Okay, Jason's fine, everything's fine, please don't hurt yourself! Yes, Elaine has been around here and there. Consider this your 'Where's Waldo?' quest to find her in previous chapters. And yes, you are correct, Tristan is the son of Meliodas and Elizabeth in Arthurian legend. As a matter of fact, Woundedowl is a bit of an expert on this subject, and many of the other characters are taken almost directly from the legends as well: Lancelot, Lynette, Tamise, Captain Gene, the antagonist, even the island of Barsil. We did our very best to keep in the spirit of the stories Woundedowl loves so much.

Chapter twenty nine: All That Matters Now


Lancelot hears Jason's shout behind him over the gusts of wind and his own adrenaline, and his first thought is, That's the freaking Boogeyman?

He never looks away from the dark figure trapped by Arondight, not even as the hundreds of Knights around him shout and draw their own swords, or even as Gilthunder appears in a flash of lightning beside him.

"Lancelot!" An armored hand rests heavily onto his shoulder, and Lancelot strains between concentrating on Arondight and looking up as he is spun around. Gilthunder looks relieved, and Lancelot's brows raise high as the man turns to his mother and smiles wobbily. "It's good to see you're up Lancelot! It would have been a shame to lose someone so full of potential! To see you up and running- it's- it's-," Gilthunder is smiling brightly, his eyes shining and… oh no. He's gonna do that-

Suddenly Lancelot is smushed, completely slammed tight into the armored plates of Gilthunder's chest as he hugs him so tightly Lancelot can't breathe. "Oh Lancelot!" Gilthunder gasps, ridiculously loud, "when we saw you dead... to lose you! We had thought we had failed you! But but-!" Lancelot makes more muffled sounds, these more frantic as Gilthunder rests his face against the top of Lancelot's head and starts sobbing really loud tears, completely ignoring Lancelot's kicking feet. He hears his mom's stifled giggle, and Lancelot's ears start to burn.

Oh come on!

Finally Gilthunder pulls back, just enough for Lancelot to loudly gasp in air. Gilthunder grins nervously at him as he slips from his grip, and Lancelot quickly stumbles to his feet, quickly dodging around them.

"Everyone! Be at arms and ready!" Howzer's loud, sharp order echoes around the masses, but it goes right over Lancelot's head as he shrugs off Uncle Gil and keeps walking. He appreciates the sentiment, he does, but he can't celebrate yet, damn it! He isn't done!

As he moves through the wind, he spies the Seven Deadly Sins rising to their feet on the opposite end of the yard. What the hell? Did they fall from the sky? That gust of wind was probably it.

"Keep him with you, ma!" Lancelot calls out to his mother, willing her to stay back as he heads out, walking through the dust and wind still swirling. He glances back to see Elaine pulling Jason close to her side, and he's not worried, he knows how terrifying she can be.

The courtyard is in a panic. He hears Aunt Elizabeth shout something, and to be honest it's all overwhelming. Holy Knights are drawing closer as civilians rush to get away. The guys with more confidence are already approaching the dark, withering thing; weapons drawn and Lancelot dodges under their legs and swoops in further. There are new injuries from the sudden windstorm, a few Knights helping their comrades walk, some still on the floor groaning. The yard is a complete mess.

He just wants to see it up close for himself. He knows some of these Knights, and if anyone tries to pull rank on him for being an apprentice, there was a chance that he'll be ordered away, but he just has to see it. The thing that was inside Lynette, the thing that took over his friend's body and has been terrorizing Britannia for the past year: it is this, he is sure of it, this thing that his Sacred Spear has trapped on the ground. Whatever the hell it is. He sees Arondight holding steady against the dark creature's struggle as he finally comes to a stop. And boy, is it trying to get loose. He can hear Lynette's heart beating finally, loud and clear, and he feels nothing but relief. She may be crumpled in a heap, far too close to that hissing and spitting thing, but she's alive. And the empty feeling is now no longer coming from the princess, but from the wild thing pinned only a few feet away.

"Lynette!" He hears Aunt Elizabeth cry over the crowd again, and he looks around, trying to see where everyone else is, but they are lost in the masses; drowned out by the loud calls of, "It's the King! Your Majesty!" The Holy Knights are shouting, and everyone is coming closer, "The Seven Deadly Sins have returned!" They were getting swarmed by the Knights, and he can bet uncle Meliodas will start throwing people soon if they don't let him pass.

"What has happened here? Have we been taken again?" Sir Escanor sounds annoyed, which would be really really bad, so Lancelot hopes that maybe it's some other giant guy who's angry. "The fuck?" someone else says. He can see them moving a distance away, as he finally steps close enough where they all have a clear view- his clothing and hair whipping around in the air- and Lancelot looks back at the figure. His hand is still out in front of him, feeling the pressure in his own limbs as the his power flows through the full weight of Arondight, holding it steady. It's howling, clawing gouges around it, jerking over and over and over on the handle. The handle actually crackles with visible energy as the figure jerks and bucks like a wild animal stuck in a trap, the feeling making the hairs on Lancelot's arms stand on end.

The dust finally settles as he steps right up to the thing, a group of Knights following his lead, and he peers down in horror and morbid interest, as it turns its head upwards.

It's a woman. She looks, well, like shit.

She has a cloak on, like Jason had told him. The clothing under it, however, is filthy. It is hanging off a bony, rickety body with drooping skin, covered in dirt and old scars alongside fresh gashes and missing chunks, and the fabric is ripped and covered in grime and unknown stains. The woman's clothes are closer to a giant pile of rags. Her face is long, her nose hooked like it had been broken a couple times, and her hair is just a rats nest under her hood. But… she looks more like something straight out of a nightmare with her longer than normal fingers which are just black, sharp, long ass claws-

This is the evil mastermind?

He can't stop looking at it. Should he say hello? It seemed kind of rude to impale someone with his rod and not even have the courtesy to exchange names.

Then, his hand wavers for just a moment, and her eyes snap to look at him and he jerks back. Holy freaking shit. She is downright freaky!

Her eyes are completely milky white; the irises and pupils layered over with a shiny film.

Suddenly a hand is on his arm, yanking him backwards. "Lancelot! Don't touch it!" He jumps, whirling around to see the king himself staring.

Meliodas' eyes dart around his face before he stares down at his blood-covered clothes, his unblemished torso, before he drags his eyes straight to his. "Lancelot? What are you doing here? We thought you were dead." Meliodas goes still, before saying sheepishly, "Not that I'm not happy to see you. Damn it, don't do that again." His hand squeezes Lancelot arm as they take a couple steps away from the still hissing thing. Lancelot tries to make his shrug look nonchalant as Meliodas pats him down- almost as if he was looking for injuries while trying to figure out if he really was there, and Meliodas gives him a long look before his hands flop onto Lancelot's shoulders, giving them a squeeze.

Lancelot shakes his head, coming back to himself. "No wait! Look, it wasn't Lynette!" Lancelot exclaims loudly. "I was trying to figure it out during the meeting but I got sidetracked!" He points a finger at the woman on the ground and yells, "It was this creep! Lynette was possessed, I swear it! This might sound stupid but this thing is the Boogeyman!"

"Yeah. I know," Meliodas cuts him off, his eyes narrowed as he looks over his shoulder to stare at her. His eyes flicker between his daughter and it, and Lancelot gasps.

"Wait what?" Lancelot's jaw drops. "You… believe me?"

"Uh huh," Meliodas says blandly, and Lancelot's mouth clicks shut, staring in awe before he puts a pinkie in his ear and wiggles it around, just to make sure his hearing is good. Did his uncle just… agree with him? "The Boogeyman huh? This thing wants Jason." Meliodas releases Lancelot who nods weakly, and steps carefully around the woman. "Good work trapping her." She gives a menacing hiss at them, black sludge staining her teeth as she struggles to pull the spear free from her body, and then she lets out high pitched scream that raises goosebumps on Lancelot's arms. The king raises his brows, unimpressed and says over her yelling, "How the hell did you stop her? You did this before too, on the tower. Nice job kid." His head tilts to the side, inspecting the spear.

"Uh," Lancelot freezes. "Well…" Lancelot shakes his head, trying to come up with something. Hell, when was the last time anyone believed him about anything?- but suddenly he's swept up by two large hands grabbing him up, into a crushing embrace.

He can hear his dad's voice in his ear. "Lancelot! Lancelot, fuck is that you? Is that you?" Ban is practically squeezing him in half. He's got his son up and snug into his chest, and suddenly Lancelot misses Gilthunder's "weak" hold. Dad's pants are shredded and his shirt is gone, and Lancelot tries to tell him to ease up a bit, but all that comes out is a wheeze. "Pop… breathing…"

His dad ignores him, or maybe he can't hear him as he holds him so freaking tight his face is turning colors. There is a hand on the back of his head, that's smushing his face against his dad's naked chest- and oh for fucks sakes- Lancelot's tries to wiggle out, but it's a lost cause. Damn being this small! Another long moment passes where his father doesn't say anything, and finally Lancelot stops struggling.

"Pop?" he croaks softly, finally, turning his head as much as he can as he instinctively reaches out to feel his father's heart. Ban… is actually shaking. A fine tiny tremor twitches under his fingers.

Ah crap.

"How? How?" Ban doesn't let up or set him down, but holds him straight out, Lancelot giving him a withered look as his dad's hands go under his arms. Ban drags his eyes up and down his son in shock. "You were-"

"Yeah, I mean," he says quickly, looking over to Meliodas for help. But the king is still examining the creature on the ground. Damn it! "Pa, I'm not now. See, it's fine." Lancelot tries to sound reassuring, but truthfully he's nervous that his father is about to freak out. His mother was bad enough, but if his old man loses it…

Then she is just there, zooming into Lancelot's back and pushing him between their firm grips. And then they are all crushed together, him in the middle; his parents crying and laughing and ugh now they're kissing? And cuddling?! Oh no, no no people could see this! Lancelot somehow extracts himself from their embarrassingly happy moment, his face bright red as he stumbles away. He peers over and sees Jason giving Meliodas a giant hug, hanging off him like a little monkey as his dad lifts him up, returning the hug just as strongly, and Lancelot tries to make a fast exit.

Suddenly Aunt Elizabeth seems to just swoop in from nowhere, covered in dirt. "Jason!" she gasps, scooping Jason out of his father's hold and into a hug, her expression ecstatic as the boy laughs and giggles from the endless kisses she lays all over his face, and excitedly starts to tell her about everything that happened. And wow does Aunty look relieved that he is taking again. She makes a move towards Lynette, but Meliodas cuts her off quickly, ordering the knights around them.

Then Lancelot spots Tristan.

The prince is on his knees on the other side of the field, his palms pressed on his legs, and he is staring at Lancelot in utter shock. Lancelot frowns for a second. What the hell? Where the hell did they all go off to? They look like shit, as if they had been dragged through hell. Dang it, did he miss something amazingly cool again?

He hurries his pace, crouching down in front of him, putting his hands on his shoulders. "Hey, man, are ya-?"

For the fourth time in the span of a few minutes Lancelot finds himself in a crushing embrace. It was getting to be a bit old at this point. "Lancelot!" his friend whispers harshly, his voice choking with emotion. "How… you're alive!" Tristan's voice wobbles, something Lancelot hasn't heard in years, and he hugs him tight.

"I know, people keep telling me," he barks out as a laugh, and Tristan sags against him a bit. Lancelot grips him tightly and leans back. "Man, ya look like shit." Tristan doesn't react, his eyes piercing as they stare at each other.

"Lancelot… I'm sorry, I should have-"

"Hey," he says, giving his friend a quick shake. "Are you alright?" Lancelot squeezes his fingers into his shoulder, and he can feel the tiny tremors vibrating his muscles. "What happened to you?" He looks at Tristan's absolutely destroyed armor and clothes, the blood on his chin and neck and shoulder, "Holy shit man, you look worse than me."

Tristan opens his mouth to answer him, and then immediately snaps shut. Then he blinks a few times- like he needed to come back to himself- before finally answering, "You'll never believe it."

Lancelot laughs and thumps his arm as Tristan leans forward, gripping him close and holding on, and they stay like that for another second… until Lancelot chuckles. And then he starts to giggle, over and over stupidly until Tristan leans back to give him a look of pure annoyance, the moment completely ruined. But he's still shaking, his arms held out to grip Lancelot's tightly. "But come on, try me. I did just come back from the dead you know."

Tristan's eyes go huge, and he chokes, "Lynette, she- she didn't mean it- she's-"

"Yeah I know. It wasn't her, I was trying to tell you." Lancelot wanted to lighten the moment with his jokes, but now he is afraid that if he lets him go Tristan will fall over, so he keeps a firm grip on him. The prince is looking worse by the minute, a grimace covering his face as sweat starts gathering on his brow, his skin losing it color, and Lancelot calls out quickly, "Uh, Aunt Elizabeth? We need a little help over here!"

"I'm fine," Tristan insists, which doesn't work for Lancelot, and when he suddenly tilts dangerously to the side Lancelot grabs him up and pushes him back into a sitting position. Elizabeth looks over, putting Jason down and hurries over to help, her hands fretting and glowing as she drops to her knees and grips Tristan's shoulders. They help Tristan steady himself, his shoulders slumping forward in exhaustion, and Lancelot watches as the cuts and bruises on the prince fade. When he is healed he looks up, blinking in surprise as Elizabeth sweeps her fingers through his hair in a loving motion, before hugging him tight. Jason leans against her, resting his head on her, and she puts her other arm around him too, the impromptu family hug making Lancelot laugh.

"I'm so glad. All of us are okay, and we are all together again," she whispers. Then she turns her smile to Lancelot, and he returns it brightly. "Are you alright? Do you…?"

Her eyes travel down his torn shirt, and Lancelot hurries to say, "Oh no, I'm totally fine. Jason, he… he really did it." He grins, giving Jason a thumbs up as the kid ducks his head under his mother's chin shyly. This kid, he was something else sometimes.

Elizabeth frowns and turns to the boy. "Jason, how did… I mean can you tell me how you did this please?" she asks gently. "Is this like when you healed me?"

Jason nods eagerly. "Yeah! I just closed my eyes like this…" here he squeezed his eyes tightly shut, "...and then I told Lancelot to stop before he got hurt!" He makes a motion with his hands, like he was tugging something hard. He opens his eyes excitedly, but she only draws her brows down in confusion. "You told him to stop?" Tristan asks, startling Lancelot with the harsh edge to his voice. "What do you mean?"

The prince nods again. "Just like I said! I remembered Lancelot but I made it stop before it got to the part where he was hurt. You were there too; I stopped it right before. That's how you fix stuff."

The three of them look at one another, and Tristan asks, "Mom, is that- is that what you do too?"

"No," she whispers. She gives Jason a reassuring smile, squeezing his shoulder.

"Is Lynette okay?" Jason suddenly asks, and Elizabeth freezes. She opens her mouth, before closing it, unsure of how to answer as her eyes dart to a grim Tristan.

Meanwhile, Lancelot leans his back against Tristan, sitting down. Lancelot focuses his eyes on the ground, his chin resting on his hand, trying to replay his fight with Lynette. He remembers that she had tried to go around him, and he grabbed Jason to pull him away. Then he had turned, shoving him towards Tristan, and swung Arondight around his body. The plan had been so clear in his mind, and it still is: to hit Lynette, disable or disarm her, and then break the hammer. Lancelot can see the moment he struck her, feel the twist of guilt as she had stumbled back, and then…

Nothing.

There is nothing there. Shouldn't- shouldn't there be more?

But it doesn't feel that way at all. Lancelot's shoulders tense, a memory flying to the front of his mind: Elizabeth and Meliodas arguing, only a couple days ago.

"I asked Gowther to look inside my memories. I did. And he checked and found that there is nothing wrong with them. I don't have any missing memories!"

Lancelot's looks over at Jason. But that was before Jason had healed her. He had brought the boy to see the queen in Camelot. Lancelot was there when they reunited-or met-whatever it was. Elizabeth had healed Jason's arm, and at the same time, Jason had healed her, too. And after that, she hadn't had a single episode.

"I want you to get better too."

What… What was going on right now?

He stares at Jason who is sandwiched between his brother and his mom, shyly looking around. It was like- it was like what aunty had said about her own curse, right? He was sounding like her, he was going through the same things…?

No, it's impossible. He isn't under a curse, he's just having… trouble remembering. And he didn't have time for this! They still had to deal with that… thing everyone was surrounding, while the four of them hugged and talked. They still had work to do.

He stands, ready to go back to the king and deal with this asshole who killed so many people, who had tried to destroy his friends and his family. He looks at Jason… damn it, why hadn't he paid better attention these past couple weeks? He had been too absorbed with his own problems; then another memory surfaces.

"So who has the opposite power of your mother?"

"Jason's a healer… but that's the same, not different."

"Perhaps he does it in another way?"

That's what Tamise had told them. Two opposites, two powers mixing. There would be a reaction. And suddenly Lancelot can barely breathe, as he finally understands.

"So if Tristan's the opposite of the king, who's the queen's?"

"Perhaps he does it in another way?"

Jason's power works the opposite of Elizabeth's, Lancelot is sure of it. But how, exactly, he doesn't completely know yet. Lancelot glances down at his stomach. Elizabeth can't heal the dead. Neither can Jason. No one can. But Jason can…

He doesn't understand. The queen had healed him a number of times, gashes and cuts and a broken tailbone once when he had tried to scare Lynette and ended up falling off a railing. All the way up until Camelot, when she had healed his legs that had been crushed. He winces at the memory, remembering the pain of feeling the bones and muscles and skin rapidly sewing itself together, bonding itself back together until they were whole.

His legs had healed in a matter of minutes, something that would have taken months. Lancelot cannot take his eyes away from Jason as he remembers the rushing of his blood in his body as it rapidly mended itself together.

"I remembered Lancelot but I made it stop before it got to the part where he was hurt."

Lancelot shakes his head, trying to make sense of this, when he hears his name. "Lancelot! Over here!" They all stand and follow him as he walks back to where the Sins are gathered. There are Holy Knights there too, and Gilthunder and Howzer with weapons drawn; all eyes are on Lancelot, for the first time.

Guess it was time to figure out what to do with this thing.


Meliodas watches him walk over, still stunned that he is alive. But then again, coming back from the dead is a family tradition at this point. Ban, Elaine… and now Lancelot. He shakes his head, a rush of relief that Ban's boy was finally showing signs of taking after his father, despite the huge question of how that still needed answering, before he pushes that thought away. That is a mystery to solve for another time. Right now, he needs to focus on this… thing.

"Lancelot," he says, "I want you to get ready to pull Arondight when I say." He doesn't bother to look to see if he answers, knowing that everyone is focused on him now. The king moves to stand next to the creature's head, and its eyes fly up to meet his. The darkness that surrounds it tries to lash out, but somehow the power of the Sacred Spear is keeping it in check.

He stands above it for a moment.

"Do you know who I am? You have to, coming after us so much," Meliodas asks. It only snarls at him, and his eyes go colder. "You were talkative while inside my daughter. What now, hmm?" Another moment goes by and he says, "If you can speak, then speak, and you may spare your life."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Captain," Ban says, his words slow but with an undeniable threat.

Meliodas ignores him and crouches down. "What are you? What's your name?" he asks. "You don't feel like a demon. Nah, you aren't that."

"I am no demon," it spits at him, the voice unmistakably female. It's scratchy, hoarse as if it isn't often used. He brings up a finger to whip the black spit off of his cheek. He glances down at his thumb, before making eye contact again.

"Good, so you can talk." The woman struggles a bit, looking away as she hisses unintelligently. It was probably hard to pay attention to him, with all that pain she's in, but Meliodas can't find it in him to care. "Why don't you start by telling us about this curse? Why did you go after these fourteen people?"

She looks at him suddenly, before her eyes snap to the side, behind him. And Meliodas can see a mixture of hate and pain in her eyes, which catches him off guard. "People?" she drawls the word, her eyes bulging. "Still haven't figured that out? Can't figure it out?" she hisses slowly, sneering, "Why would you? It's a bit of old magic, even older than you, I'd say." She isn't saying this to him… And his hand twitches, his eyes narrowing as he feels Elizabeth tense up.

"Don't be so sure about that," Ban says, but Meliodas frowns. "Older than me? So you do know who I am. How did you come in contact with this magic?"

No answer.

"Why did you curse these people?"

She does not answer, turning her head away as she digs her claws into the ground, scratching at the gouges. "If you know who I am, then you must have been here for a very, very long time. We could be family, you and I."

"Family," she croaks harshly. Then she looks… confused? "Family. Family… thieves took our family."

"Is that why you are trying to take mine?" Meliodas leans forward a bit until his face is within her view. Her pale eyes snap back to his, and they are inches apart. The witch curls back her lips, baring her black gums. "You put a curse on the queen, and then took possession of my daughter. You tried to do the same with the prince. You've been giving my youngest son these dreams-"

"Royalty!" she screeches, tugging on Lancelot's spear, "My son?" She gives another scream and then continues, "Where is he? Why do you have him?" Meliodas arches his brows, and she goes on, "They took him from me, so I will take all of Britannia back. I will have all of it! I should have him! Give me Jason!"

Meliodas pulls back in surprise. "Yours?" he asks. His question is met with silence, so he continues, "If you tell me everything, then I would consider letting you go."

"Captain!" several of them shout, sounding outraged, and he stands upright and rolls his eyes, giving them a steady, blank look. He looks over at the other Sins, at Howzer and Gilthunder who looks offended on his behalf, even more of his Knights ready to speak up against him. Meliodas says over his shoulder, "If she is as old as this, then she could be harmless! She is caught, powerless! We do not kill the defenseless like animals in Lioness!" His eyes shift over to meet Merlin's. "Britannia doesn't have enough power left. Isn't that what you said? She couldn't do this on her own." Merlin slowly nods, her eyes piercing as she looks at the sorceress on the ground, until Ban steps forward. "Can we figure out how she did what she did? Who or what may have helped her?"

"Certainly, hmmmm… with enough time," Merlin brings a finger up to her chin tapping over and over, slowly smiling.

"Captain," Ban growls. "If you don't want to kill her for whatever self righteous bull, I'd be happy to."

"Not this time." Meliodas shakes his head. "You really want to kill this thing? Does she look dangerous to you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, she looks dangerous," he answers blandly. His stance was lazy, but Meliodas knew his friend well enough to know he could snap out his sacred weapon at any second.

"Captain," Escanor says, "how do you know that once you let her up, she will not simply hop back into the princess? Or someone else? She could go into you."

"Escanor is, unfortunately, right." Merlin steps up next to him, Aldan spinning in her palm. "The fairy magic is keeping her contained for now. If her claim is true and she is as old as she says, then using the power of the Sacred Tree would be effective. If you release her, she could still strike."

Gilthunder sighs. "We can't keep her pinned to the ground forever. We have to let her up eventually. She needs a trial to face her crimes."

"Like I said," says Ban, "I'd be happy to take care of it." Meliodas opens his mouth to protest, but Ban cuts him off, holding up a hand. "She did kill my son."

"And she stalked mine," the king responds blandly, but the sideways look he gives Ban stops him from approaching any further. "Before she went after my wife and daughter and my other son, too. I get it."

"If Ban won't do it, I will," King says.

Scowling, Meliodas folds his arms. "We aren't playing a lottery for who gets to kill who. We don't kill prisoners. Especially someone defenseless, someone weaker than us."

"Then how did she perform all those curses?" King shot back.

Meliodas turns his head and looks straight at Lancelot, who is standing just a few feet away, watching silently. "How are you alive?" he asks.

"Uh…?" He freezes under the sudden gazes of everyone there.

"Jason," Elaine answers for him, stepping forward from the side. "Jason, he brought him back."

"Jason?" Meliodas shakes his head in confusion. "No. There's no way. He's not strong enough for such magic, it isn't-"

"But he did it!" Lancelot insists. "I mean, I'm standing here, aren't I?" He shrugs, looking over to his mother. "It's true," Elaine says firmly. "I saw it. I was sitting next to him when Lancelot was- he was-"

"I was dead," he finishes lamely. "Kaput. Dead as a doornail, you get it. Jason said he fixed me. Not healed, fixed." He peers around the others to smile at the prince, who is holding on tightly to the hem of Elizabeth's dress, peeking out from behind her. "Isn't that what you said? I think- okay, I know this sounds crazy." Meliodas gives him a blank look. "But I don't think he can heal. I think Jason turns back time."

There is a moment of silence before whispering begins to spread through the courtyard, and then Meliodas hears Merlin murmur next to him, "Very interesting." He is about to ask her what she has to say but Lancelot hurries on, "Tristan! Tristan, tell them what Tamise told us, about the opposites."

"Opposites?" Meliodas' eyes flicker over to Tristan as the others begin to debate what to do next.

His son looks more tired than he has ever seen him.

He is relieved to see the demon mark gone, and many of the injuries are gone too; Meliodas assumes a combination of his son's powers and Elizabeth have healed him. He remembers what Merlin had suggested days ago, when they were in Camelot: You should go ask him what he learned on Barsil. Suddenly he wonders what she may have meant, now that Lancelot has brought it up again he can only assume it's important. But… so many strange things had happened since Elizabeth's curse, not the least of which was the way his Full Counter had failed against Tristan… he hasn't been able to pay much attention to his son, as he should have. The prince draws in a breath once, twice, and Meliodas takes a step towards him.

"Tristan." Their eyes meet and Meliodas sees his son's shoulders tense, subconsciously taking a step closer to Lancelot. But he doesn't stop, coming closer to rest a hand on his shoulder, squeezing tightly as he feels the still fine tremors shaking him. The knights and the Sins continue to debate what to do with the prisoner, but Meliodas tunes them out for a moment. "How are you feeling? Elizabeth may have healed your body but after using that much demonic magic, you should be feeling it."

"Yes, I- I don't think I've felt this... tired before." He hesitates before Meliodas nods, and looks nervously back at him, before saying, "The emotions are gone though. I feel more like myself... and, Father, I-" Meliodas catches him by surprise as he tugs him forward by the arm, and before he can say anything Meliodas has a hand on the back of his head as he holds Tristan in a tight hug.

The kind does not care about being in public at all. Because it didn't matter. Who cares if he is king right now? Not him, not now, when only a few moment ago his son was aiming his sword at him. He squeezes his arm around Tristan, ruffling his hair like he's done his entire life. "I'm sorry," Meliodas says, looking straight ahead. "We'll talk. We'll sit down and talk after this, I promise, Tristan."

A silent moment ticks by, before he feels Tristan's arm slowly raise up and return the embrace. He keeps them there, his cheek against his silver hair, waiting to hear his son's reaction, just wanting to protect him from all of this. Then Meliodas all at once remembers, as Tristan pulls himself together, pulling away and revealing a determined and steadfast gaze, even with glassy eyes, that he isn't a child who needs his protection anymore.

His son really is a Holy Knight now, and he has been, even though Meliodas is truly seeing it for the first time.

Drawing his own deep breath, he pats Tristan solidly on the shoulders one last time. "We'll talk about Barsil, after we figure out what to do with this thing." He hears Ban snort noncommittally, and then Meliodas walks over to Elizabeth. She looks back at him nervously, but then her eyes soften and she smiles. He places a hand on her waist, rubbing up and down before returning her smile. Then he looks at Jason, who is staring up with wide eyes. Meliodas leans down, happy to see his gaze is unafraid, unlike before. "Jason? Is this all true?"

The boy nods. "I fixed him," Jason says quietly. Meliodas leans down and scoops him up in one arm. "You sure did," he answers in amazement.

An enraged scream erupts from behind him, and Jason ducks into his neck. "Don't let her eat me," Jason whispers, and Meliodas pats him on the back; then to his surprise, Elizabeth steps around him. "Hey, Elizabeth?" he says, reaching to grab her arm, "What are you doing?" But she sidesteps him and walks over to stand next to the woman.

King floats beside her, pressing to try to block her way. "Your Majesty, please! That isn't-" he tries to say but she ignores him, walking forward to sink down and kneel next to the woman. "Are you hurt?" she asks quietly. "I can heal you if you are."

She reaches a tentative hand out, the edges glowing softly as her right eye comes unhidden from the fringe of her hair. The woman stares, before flinching away violently and giving a high pitched whine, so Elizabeth pulls away, nodding. "It's all right. I understand. But why were you screaming?"

The woman's eyes dart from Elizabeth to over her shoulder, and Elizabeth turns around. Meliodas locks his gaze with hers for a moment, and then he turns and hands Jason to Tristan. The woman watches, captivated, her eyes trailing longingly as the prince takes Jason into his arms. Tristan suddenly looks uncomfortable as they step back, and Meliodas moves slowly to stand next to the queen. "That is my son, Jason," Elizabeth says gently.

The woman seems to snap. Her body seizes, arching off the ground, and she lets loose a howl.

"Your son!" she screams, yanking herself against the spear in an attempt to lunge forward. "Your son!" Suddenly Elizabeth is being pulled back, just in time as a row of black claws barely miss her face.

Meliodas grits his teeth at the sound of her screeching, and his Knights speak up over her racket around him; they are finally through with the waiting. Calls for her execution are being shouted around them, yells to avenge fallen comrades or to rid themselves of this criminal; and he grabs Elizabeth by the elbow to pull her away. They look around as more people yell, but Elizabeth resists his pull. Her eyes remain steady on the screeching woman, and only responds calmly, "Yes, that is my son."

"Your son my son your son my son," the woman mutters loudly, hissing something unintelligible, and then her eyes snap to Elizabeth in rage. "He isn't yours! Not this you!"

He feels Elizabeth stiffen next to him, and she just signed her own death sentence, but Elizabeth's voice is still calm as she answers, "You're right. He isn't mine, not yet. But he will be."

"He won't be," the woman says with a terrible laugh. "You are here, remember? Here, never there." She laughs again, her hands stretching out to her sides and scraping terribly along the stone beneath them. "You can't be his mother. You won't be there for it. And now that she is gone, I will have him back."

Meliodas' pulse races hearing her threatening words. "Is that why you cursed the queen?" he asks before he can stop himself. "To take Jason?"

The woman ignores him, reaching her hand out towards Elizabeth. To his surprise, Elizabeth still has a perfectly calm expression, as if she is exchanging pleasantries. "Is that why you sent the queen away?" she asks. "You wanted to have a son?"

"I have a son. I had a son. My son your son my son." Her fingers stretch out, and Elizabeth inches closer. "What about the others who were cursed?" she asks.

"They took my son," she says. "They took my son so I will take everything else. Don't you understand that?"

Elizabeth covers her mouth with her hand, and Meliodas reaches out to squeeze her shoulder. "I'm sorry that happened to you," murmurs Elizabeth. "My son's name is Jason. What is your son's name?"

A groan erupts from the woman before she goes suddenly, terrifyingly silent; and then she whispers, "Mabon. Maaaabooon." She moans his name, before bringing her own hand up to claw at her face, scratching at her skin and hair. "Soulless children don't come back," she says pathetically, "they don't come back. I found him he's right here."

"Mabon?" She looks sharply back at Elizabeth when she hears the princess says his name. "Is that his name? We can help you. If someone kidnapped your child… we can, we can find him. If you… if you help us, we can help you find him together."

Meliodas hears Merlin give a sharp intake of breath, and he glances up at her. They lock eyes, and he can see instantly that she knows something. Another piece of the puzzle has settled into place, but he keeps his peace, hoping that Elizabeth can keep the woman talking.

"This is the mastermind?" Diane finally has enough, saying incredulously, "No way!"

"I can not help but agree," Escanor speaks up, murmurs of agreement spreading around them, "I can not believe this is the same person who has attacked two kingdoms and destroyed countless families. She barely knows what's is happening at the present, less such complex trickery!"

Elizabeth begins to reach out to take the hand that has been stretching towards her. "You don't have to attack anyone. The curses aren't needed. We can find him, and-"

The woman shrinks back a bit, starting to writhe around. Her hands grip the handle of the Sacred Spear in an attempt to pull it out. Suddenly she is thrashing and twisting on the ground, struggling to push Arondight off of her, and Lancelot steps forward, ready to take possession of the spear if the king gives a command.

"Elizabeth," Meliodas hisses, pulling her up against him. "Stand back."

"Please," she says, turning to him, her hands grabbing his arms. "Please don't hurt her! Can't you see…" Her voice trails off as she looks back at the screeching woman struggling on the ground. "They… they're right. She couldn't have pulled me here! There's is something the matter with her. She isn't right. Whatever her reason, she… she is suffering, she's ill."

A single tear slips down her cheek, and Meliodas reaches up to brush it gently away. He thinks of the first time he saw her cry, weeping into that horrible meal he had made her in the Boar's Hat, before he even knew her name. It had seemed to him then as she cried that she may as well be made of glass, her heart was so fragile. But now he knows it was because her heart is strong. Only his Elizabeth could shed tears over the pain of someone who had done such terrible things.

"I won't hurt her," he says; but at the same time, there is a shift in the corner of his eye, a change in the air around them. Lancelot shouts something while King yells his name, and Meliodas turns to where his sons are standing together. Lancelot is suddenly sliding to the ground, his left arm shaking horribly as he tries to hold it up, and the Fairy King curses up as storm as a wind starts to pick up again.

Something is happening behind Meliodas, but his eyes lock on Tristan's face, his eyes and mouth open in horror as he turns ten shades paler. "Dad," he croaks, his voice tight as he flinches, his legs shaking, and Meliodas takes a step closer.

"Dad," Tristan says again, looking like he needs to say more but he's shaking in strain, and he tries to hand Jason back to him as his arms almost give out. The younger boy is trembling too, his head bowed and his arms go tightly around his father's neck the moment he has him. "What's wrong?" Meliodas presses, hearing his whimper as Jason jerks, once, and twice again against his chest. He still hasn't turned around, and he ignores the raised voices behind him as he worries about the two of them. "Tristan, what's wrong?"

"This is my dream," Jason barely says into his shoulder, and Meliodas snaps his head to look down at him. "This is…" Jason slurs, why is he slurring his words? Meliodas tilts him back, and sees that the boy's eyes are glassy, one eyelid hanging lower than the other. "This is m'blue dream, Tristan is gonna cry," he says weakly, and Meliodas shakes him, trying to wake him up from his bout of dizziness.

"Your blue…?" The meaning registers suddenly, and he looks startled over at Tristan, who is shaking far worse. "Tristan?" he holds out his free hand, trying to steady him as Gilthunder calls his name, trying to break Tristan out from whatever is befalling him, "Tristan! Just- just wait- Merlin!" He looks behind him, the panic building, the feeling of not knowing what to do making him shout, "Merlin, I need you!"

Lancelot is cussing too loud, and there is a rumble under his feet as Tristan gasps painfully, everyone moving around as the prince crumbles into himself. Suddenly Jason goes limp, and he hears the woman screech behind at impossible octave, the same as before when they were in the past.

The sound jolts him, and all at once he feels an incredible surge of power from his son, now unconscious in his arms, the sudden force nearly causing him to drop him. "No! Jason! Jason, hold on!" Meliodas stumbles to one knee, clenching his teeth as he tries to hold onto him, even as wave after wave of searing power rolls from him, blowing against him like a storm. The ground cracks, a surge of power like a whirlwind forming around Jason and pushing everyone away.

"What is happening!"

"By god's is that coming from the prince!"

"It's another attack!"

Cries ring around them, the shouting returning as people duck under the furious windstorm. There's clattering and loud crashes, and he hears yells and screams- Diane ducking down with her head down by her knees, King holding onto her shoulder as weapons are crashed into the ground, people trying to have something to hang onto.

"Meliodas!" Elizabeth is calling his name, yelling over the wind, and then she puts her arms in front of her, struggling to take the few steps it takes to grabs Tristan by the shoulder, but he only stares at Jason in shock. The pulsing wind is trying to push him away, his skin on his hands crackling and burning as he keeps a tight grip on him. How?

How is this much power coming from him? Lancelot had said he could turn back time… but Meliodas hadn't really believed it. He is a child, the level of power required for even bringing him back, that would be absurd for a child, but this… His bleeding hand goes to Jason's forehead and he finds it feverish. What was happening to Jason!

"Your Highness! Meliodas!" People are calling for him, but he can't look away, grinding his teeth so hard they could crack.

Elizabeth is there, how he can't be sure, but her hands are now cradling Jason's face, who is now unconscious, his cheeks flushed, and Merlin and Diane, all of them surround him as they fight against the wind. "His… his power…" Meliodas chokes out, and Merlin swipes her hand down, shouting out, "We all feel it. She's using him." Meliodas looks up at the mage in terror. "She's pushing her power into him, and it's changing, somehow."

"Jason said- he said this is his dream-!"

Tristan is screaming, crying out in pain as he withers, and Meliodas head snaps to the side. His cries were awful, far worse than anything he had heard before.

"F- father," Tristan cries, curling into himself as Meliodas sees the fear in his eyes. He pushes Jason's limp form towards Merlin, sure she can hang on to him, and jumps up, grabbing Tristan by the shoulders. "Hang on! I'm not going to let his happen! Just hang on!"

"There's something-" he murmurs, his face curled up in pain, and Tristan hand goes to the back of his neck, his fingers twitching. Meliodas has seen that move too many times; all he can think of is how many times he's seen Elizabeth do the same thing over and over again and again, and he grabs his son's arm and yanks it away.

He looks down and goes cold, when he sees Tristan's hand is fading.

Meliodas feels something he hasn't in a very, very long time: panic. He can see right through not only his skin, but his clothes. He looks up into Tristan's eyes in horror, but he can see the people standing behind him, a side of his face already see through.

Is this what happened to Elizabeth as she had laid in bed with him, fading away to nothing?

Did she know when it happened? Was she awake, was she scared, did she try to call out for him? Or had she been sleeping, silently slipping away forever? He grips Tristan's forearms as the prince cries out, the pain making him howl and wither, and Meliodas is determined not to let him go. He will not allow him to fade away, he will not lose him the way he had lost his mother. He can't!

"Stop her!" Meliodas screams, his voice shrill with fright, but he does not care. "Someone stop her, please!" He has no idea what to do, and that sensation is altogether foreign to him. All he knows for certain is if he just holds on tight enough, he can keep Tristan here, keep him from disappearing into nothing; whether or not that's even true doesn't matter compared to his need to hold onto him. He couldn't lose him. He can't lose him like he lost Elizabeth!

The wind is blowing with increasing speed around them, and Meliodas decides he must act. Yet as he turns around, he sees that the others have all had the same idea.

"Now, Lancelot!" Ban shouts. Lancelot nods and grips Arondight by the handle and yanks it out of the creature with one swift movement; and in the next, in a fraction of a second there is an explosion of magic, as attacks come from every direction: Ban, Diane, King, Gowther, Escanor, even Gilthunder and Howzer, and the other Holy Knights that surround them. Dozens, maybe hundreds of voices ring out as they answer their king's call. All of the attacks are sent at the woman in a flurry of sound and light and searing heat, and she gives a wretched howl before they are blinded by the explosion it causes.

The aftermath rocks Lioness. Buildings shake, the ground vibrating so hard people are lifted off their feet and thrown around their homes, the aftershock pushing passed the iron gates of the Kingdom and blowing into the mountains surrounding them.

Then, it stops. The winds still immediately, the sky covered in a gray haze, and Tristan coughs over and over, a hand clenching his throat as his veins bulge, his face red. Meliodas catches him with the grip he has not loosened, and when he looks down, he sees that Tristan's hands are solid, no longer fading.

"Tristan?" he cries, releasing one arm to press a palm on his cheek. "Tristan, is that you? Are you still here? Say something!" His pulse pounds in his head, his heart thundering as Tristan catches his breath, lowering his hand. And he doesn't know what he will do- if Tristan is suddenly not himself. If he is another version of his son.

"I'm here," he finally pants, closing his eyes and nodding his head. "I'm fine. I'm here."

"You're here," Meliodas repeats, and then he grabs him into a tight hug. Tristan returns the embrace, his hands firm and sure on his back, and Meliodas breathes a sigh of relief. He had broken his promise to Elizabeth, but their son was alive and well, and he prays that this nightmare was finally over, for all of them.