Hi everyone! Here I am again! :D
I didn't forget about all the Escalin stories that I promised to write! I didn't have much time in this period, sorry :S but now I'm working on 3 different stories! (yeah, I like to give myself a hard time -.- XD).
So here it is the one I promised to write last time! Another after-manga story!
Obviously all characters belong to Nakaba Suzuki, etc...
Please, follow me on twitter if you like! I'll appreciate it ^^
( /RoryWild4)
And Bertaz too! (She draws Escalin sooooo well! She's an inspiration and a huge help every time!)
( /BertazHead)
*WARNING*
This story begins after the manga's end!
IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE MANGA DON'T READ THIS STORY! THERE ARE HUGE SPOILERS! X3
CHAPTER 1
Arthur was sitting at a table in his private chambers, his elbows were resting on its surface, his fists supporting his chin, and he was watching seriously the people he had called to Camelot for this emergency meeting.
"I think that most of you can guess why I have asked you here."
He broke the silence in a solemn tone, and everyone could see in his eyes that he was worried.
"It concerns Merlin, right?!"
Ban was the first to speak, almost uncaringly, but the truth was that everyone was concerned about the Mage, and someone needed to seem calm about it, there were already too many gloomy faces.
"How is she? I wasn't able to speak with her in… a very long time."
Elizabeth felt guilty to have left the raven haired woman alone, she could have tried more, she should have stayed in contact more often with her, her and Meliodas were the ones who took care of her after the destruction of Belialuin, they were practically family, and she loved her like a little sister, so knowing that she had let her down was weighing a lot on her. A hand on her shoulder took her back to the present, and she gave a little sad smile, knowing that Meliodas was trying to comfort her, he too was at fault and was feeling worried about the Mage.
"She's worse, it isn't noticeable if you don't know her well, but I can see the difference. She's not dealing with it at all, she's not reacting."
Arthur's fists tightened.
"It's as if she's not even really living."
There was a weighty silence at his words.
King and Diane didn't know what to say, they were worried as everyone else, even Gowther seemed lost, his skills couldn't help her, they had already talked about that, at best he could make her forget but that wouldn't really resolve the problem, and she would be furious if he even dared to suggest something like that, rightly so.
"If you have called us here that means that you have at least an idea on how to help her."
The young king lifted his eyes, fixing them on Mael, he was trying to get to the point quickly, maybe the archangel knew where he was going with this.
"I think that what we need to do is obvious."
He looked at every single person in the room, more desperate than determined, and at last he spoke with a grave and unwavering tone
"We need to find a way to get him back."
Merlin sat besides the window in her lab, looking outside at the beautiful and melancholy setting sun.
In the last year she had acquired a new set of habits, watching the sun rising over the horizon in the morning and leaving the sky at dawn were part of them; she made sure to never miss it, no matter all the things she had to do for the kingdom, and by now everyone in the castle knew, so they paid attention to not bother her in these moments.
Another habit she had picked up was to read at least a poem at sunrise and one at dawn, to accompany her throughout the day and night, and those were chosen from a specific set of poems: his poems.
King and Diane had found his book a few days after his departure, between the remains of Hawk's Mama, and had given it to her a couple of weeks after that, thinking that he would have wanted that.
Now that book was her most prized possession.
At the time when she had received it she had put on a neutral mask for her two companions, thanking them for their thoughtful gesture, but as soon as she was back in the safety of her room, she had had an emotional breakdown.
At first she had tried to be strong in front of the others, trying to avoid thoughts of him, running away from everything that reminded her of him. Over the course of the days following his death, she had found that she couldn't run anymore, more often she found herself behaving like he was there, explaining some of her researches out loud asking for his input just to turn around to look at him when she didn't receive a response and finding herself alone in her lab instead, or asking if he could pass her something, or finding something that could interests him and searching for him only to remember half way that he wasn't there anymore. Every time that this happened she felt a crushing weight in her chest, she had never regretted something this bad, she hadn't known how very important he had become for her, how dependent from his presence she was, not until he wasn't there with her anymore.
The poem's book had only been the last push towards her breakdown.
That evening she had returned to her room in Camelot, and as soon as the door was closed, a tear had dropped from her eye, followed by another, and another, she had been unable to stop them, the weight of his absence absolutely crushing her, so much that she had slowly slided down, sitting on the floor, and had finally let out everything, crying like she had never done in all her life, not even when her city and people had been destroyed, not when Meliodas and Elizabeth had left her all alone after their first deaths.
She was sitting there, curled up with her knees pulled to her chest, her arms around her legs and the precious book in between her chest and thighs, her head hidden on her knees, crying her heart out, wailing and screaming her pain, her body rocking back and forth to try to comfort herself, shivering from her heartbreaking sobs.
She didn't know how long she stayed there in the dark crying, but after that she hadn't been able to recover at all, she found a little relief only in his poems, reading all of them again and again, ingraining his words on her heart and mind, his feelings for her so strong that they shone through every page, making her smile and cry at the same time.
It had been almost one year already, in just a few days there would be a feast to commemorate and remember the great hero that he had been.
It had been almost one year and she was so tired.
She didn't know how she could go on like this.
"What?!"
Everyone in the room looked shocked at his suggestion, everyone but the Archangel.
All the Sins began talking at the same time, it was absurd, it wasn't possible.
"Arthur…"
Elizabeth began saying something but the young king slammed a fist on the table, effectively shutting up all of them for good.
"I know it seems unreasonable! I know it seems impossible! But what else can we do?!"
He shouted out, visibly desperate.
"We have to find a way, we have to try, we have to do something…"
He was on the verge of crying, he felt so useless.
They didn't understand, they couldn't, they hadn't seen her becoming sadder and sadder throughout the days, they didn't see her talking as if he was here or searching for him and then realizing that he wasn't there anymore, they couldn't know how heartbreaking had been the first time he had heard her cry out alone for him, and all the other times after that.
He couldn't do anything, he wasn't able to help the woman that had raised him and that was his mentor and almost a mother figure to him, it was unbearable for him to see her like that, and the most hurtful part was that she had never asked for his help, instead putting on a brave face for his sake.
"We have to find a way to help her… please…"
His voice was almost a broken whisper.
The others couldn't even look at him, his hurt was palpable and they were regretting that they hadn't taken the time to think about it, hadn't even the slightest idea how to help the Mage.
"We can try."
Mael's words made everyone turn to look at him, shocked.
"Is it… is it possible?!"
Arthur hadn't really thought his idea could have some merit, he was desperate, but the sureness in the Archangel gave him hope, something that they needed right now.
"Mael?"
Even Elizabeth was surprised and confused.
"It could be possible, at least I can try to search for... something. I can try, and I am willing to do it."
He seemed a little embarrassed, and then became solemn and sad.
"I owe it to him to try my best."
He had regretted having chickened out when he was needed the most, and to have let him give his life to protect them all, without the slightest concern to his own well being and his happiness.
He deserves another chance, him and her both.
"I can't give you any certainty, but give me some time to search if there could be a way, and then I'll contact you."
He was looking directly at Arthur, who was sporting a big tremulous smile.
"Thank you Mael, so much!"
His eyes were shining with grateful unshed tears.
"Then we'll be waiting for news from you, and in the meantime we can also research and think of a possible way to get him back and to help Merlin!"
He looked at every person in the room, all of them nodding and agreeing with the plan.
"Oh! One last thing before you all go."
Arthur was again serious and worried.
"Not a word of this has to reach Merlin. I don't want to give her false hope, I don't think she could take a blow like that in her current state."
It is short, I know, sorry "^^ it is just an intro but I hope to have intrigued you anyway!
I can't promise that I'll be posting regularly but I'll try to do my best!
As always your comments are veeery welcome! ^^