Elizabeth sighed as she wandered the endless halls of the castle. It was a cold day and she'd been told to stay inside whilst Meliodas was training with the rest of the Sins. She'd already read all her books and was bored playing by herself, so she decided to look around the castle for something to do to pass the time.

Soon, Elizabeth found herself in a servant's hall, where the maids and other workers lived and relaxed. She knew she wasn't supposed to be there so when she heard voices she immediately began to look for somewhere to hide.

"So tell me about the royal family," someone asked. Elizabeth decided to hide behind a nearby curtain, knowing she'd not be found as their was no need to open the windows.

"They're all lovely, my dear," another woman responded," I am grateful to serve them."

"Can I ask, why does Princess Elizabeth have silver hair?" the other girl asked curiously.

"You don't know?" another woman gasped," Elizabeth's adopted!"

Elizabeth felt herself tense up, her heart stopping with shock. A cold feeling came over her and she began to shiver. It was not from the howling wind.

"Where did she come from?" the youngest maid exclaimed, now more curious than before.

"I heard she was from the Kingdom of Danafor," the gossipy woman whispered.

Elizabeth's heart sank even further if that was possible.

Danafor.

The Kingdom that had mysteriously disappeared. All that was left was a massive hole filled with rubble.

"That's enough!" the older woman snapped," Elizabeth is our Princess and we will continue to treat her just like any other member of the royal fa-"

Elizabeth couldn't listen to the women's idle gossip anymore. She burst out of the curtains, rushing down the hall, ignoring the cries from the maids.

"Princess Elizabeth!" the oldest maid gasped before turning to the shell shocked women in anger," Look what you've done!"

…

Adopted.

It all made sense now.

Her silver hair in comparison to her families various shades of violet.

Her blue and orange eyes were nothing like the families copper brown.

The missing pregnancy portrait of the Queen with Elizabeth. Every pregnant Queen received a portrait for each child. When Elizabeth was younger, she'd asked her mother where her portrait was, but her mother simply said that Elizabeth's had gone "missing" but now she knew the truth.

There was never any portrait.

Her whole life was a lie.

Elizabeth ran out the castle doors, rushing off into the snow and ice as tears ran down her cheeks.

Were her real family alive still?

Probably not. From what she'd been told, no one survived the Kingdom's fall. Then again, she was alive...

Was she even royalty?

Again, it was unlikely. The Royal Family of Danafor had been rumored to be of Arabic descent with honeyed skin and chocolate locks.

How did she survive the Fall of Danafor?

Perhaps she'd been protected by some spirit or heavenly being.

Was she even loved?

That final question made Elizabeth stop. She was now far from the castle, alone in the white world around her.

Love. Her father and mother always told them that they loved their precious girls, but Elizabeth wasn't truly their daughter.

Did Meliodas know about this?

…

Meliodas came back from an intense training session with his fellow Sins to a panicking castle.

"What's going on?" he asked a panicking guard.

"Princess Elizabeth is missing!" the guard yelled before running off.

Meliodas felt his heart drop and he went unconsciously to the throne room. Entering the room, three terrified maids were knelt before the upset royal family minus Elizabeth.

"You said what?!" the King roared at the maid in the middle who was trembling like a leaf.

"I - I didn't know she was there your Majesty," the maid blubbered.

"That is not an excuse!" the King yelled, slamming his fist down on his throne.

"What's going on?" Meliodas asked. If the maids were scared before, they were terrified now. Meliodas was insanely protective of the young girl and his normally chipper voice was icy cold.

"Elizabeth found out she was adopted," the weeping Queen managed to say before she continued sobbing.

"How?" Meliodas snapped. When he'd discovered baby Elizabeth, he'd given her to the King with the condition she didn't find out until she was 18.

"These women were idly gossiping!" the King glared. One of the maids stood at this point.

"Your Majesty," she began," I am innocent. I told them to stop their gossip but they refused to listen. Please don't dismiss me. I need this job to support my children."

"We will listen to your cases later," the King cooly replied," For now, we must find Elizabeth."

"I saw her run North, your majesty," the standing maid continued," She left the castle and was heading out into the middle of nowhere."

"On it!" Meliodas yelled before rushing out the room to the exit, not waiting for the King's orders. They didn't have time for that if they wanted to find Elizabeth alive. As he left the castle, he allowed his demon markings to grow, forming a set of dark wings. He took to the air, fighting off the harsh winds as he began to track Elizabeth.

"Please, be safe," he whispered to himself," I can't lose you again."

…

Elizabeth finally slumped to the ground, her legs giving in to the cold. She was lost. She'd tried to go back home but the blizzard swirled endlessly around her and she couldn't see anything except white.

"I'm going to die here," Elizabeth thought to herself. Surprisingly, she was not panicking. She was calm, seeming to accept her fate," I came into this world alone and that's how I'll leave. Isolated."

Closing her eyes, Elizabeth allowed the cold winds to lull her into a deep sleep. One that she may never wake from.

…

"Where are you!?" Meliodas screeched into the winds, his markings growing in excess.

No reply. All that he could hear was the taunting of the howling wind.

Meliodas felt empty inside. His beautiful princess was here, he could sense her. But he couldn't find her. It was like his heart and humanity were being ripped out once again and crushed.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. In the distance, a small speck of pink, lying on the ground.

Meliodas dashed over, to find an unconscious, frozen Elizabeth lying on the ground, her skin tinged blue.

"No," Meliodas whispered, tears pouring down his cheeks.

"NO!" he screamed," Hang on, Elizabeth!"

Meliodas picked the cold girl up bridal style before allowing the dark wings to form once again. He flew off to the castle, clutching the princess.

"Don't leave me Elizabeth," he whimpered as if in pain," I can't do this again. Please, stay with me."

…

Soon, Meliodas landed in the castle grounds. Luckily, no guards were around to see his demonic form. He rushed into the castle, heading straight to Merlin's room. Servants caught sight of the duo and went to alert the King and Queen who wept with joy and fear.

"Merlin!" Meliodas yelled, bursting into the room where the busty sorcerer was busy making new potions," It's Elizabeth, you need to save her."

Merlin immediately set down her lab equipment and went over, placing her hand on Elizabeth's wrist, trying to feel for a pulse.

It was there. Faint, but still there.

"Place her on the bed," Merlin instructed Meliodas who obeyed," Get Escanor and King!"

"Escanor!" Meliodas roared," King!"

The two sins rushed into the room, shocked at the princess's condition.

"There's no time to waste," Merlin said, turning to Escanor and King," Escanor, I need you to make me a very small ball of sunshine. King, I need you to release a pollen barrier."

"Yes, my fair lady," Escanor replied, forming a small sun. The heat from the tiny ball of light was great, yet not too overpowering.

"Chastiefol. Eight Configuration," King said, his spear glowing," Pollen garden."

Immediately a green orb encased the room. At the combined heat, Elizabeth's cheek began to glow again and her pulse strengthened.

"Will she be okay?" Meliodas asked, his eyes never leaving Elizabeth as the two Sins were dismissed from the room.

"She'll be fine but she'll need to take it easy for the next few days," Merlin replied," Make sure she stays warm and I'd rub her feet and hands with this balm."

Merlin handed Meliodas a small pot, which contained a peppermint scented ointment.

"This will ensure she does not suffer from frostbite," Merlin explained," But I am curious. Why did she leave the castle?"

"She found out she was adopted," Meliodas said, his voice lowering slightly in anger.

"I see," Merlin nodded thoughtfully, before walking to the door," I believe that you should talk to her in private when she wakes up."

Meliodas simply nodded, in response. He was already applying the balm to the princess's hands and feet, rubbing it in gently.

…

Elizabeth's eyes began to flutter open. She was surprised to find herself warm. The last thing she remembered was ice, snow and darkness. A darkness pulling her down into eternal sleep.

Meliodas, who was still massaging the princess's feet, noticed her small movements.

"You're awake!" Meliodas exclaimed, dropping the oil to the ground as he embraced the girl.

"How did I get here?" Elizabeth asked softly, looking around the room.

"After hearing that you'd run off, I went out after you," Meliodas explained before his voice quivered with pain," You were nearly dead. You were so cold…"

"I… I'm sorry," Elizabeth whispered, tears pooling in her eyes as she stared down at the bedspread. Not only had she nearly died, she'd hurt someone important to her.

"Why did you run off?" Meliodas softly asked. He knew the answer but he wanted to hear it from her.

"I heard about Danafor." Elizabeth whispered after a few minutes of silence," How I'm isolated."

"What do you mean by isolated?" Meliodas asked, holding her lukewarm hand.

"I don't have a family," Elizabeth said, tears now running free," I'm alone."

"You do have a family," Meliodas exclaimed," You have your sisters and your mum and dad."

"I'm adopted though," Elizabeth softly said, looking away," They don't love me like Veronica and Maggie."

"Elizabeth," Meliodas said sternly," Look at me."

Elizabeth looked up at Meliodas, who was staring down at her with a firm, yet loving expression.

"When babies are made," Meliodas explained," It's random."

"Random?" Elizabeth asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Yeah," Meliodas chuckled softly," Parents can't determine what the baby will be like or anything. It's a big surprise. But they chose you. You weren't random. They saw you and chose to make you their daughter. You are so loved, Ellie."

"I'm chosen?" Elizabeth repeated in awe.

"Yep," Meliodas smiled," I love you too, Elizabeth. You're my purpose. I would never abandon you."

"I love you too Meliodas," Elizabeth sobbed, launching herself into Meliodas' embrace.