"You look so pretty, Elizabeth," Margaret smiled, fixing the girl's hair. The ten year old princess was staring into the mirror, wondering how she'd gotten herself into this mess. She was currently wearing a peach dress which went down to her ankles. It was pretty and went perfectly with the tiny silver circlet resting in Elizabeth's hair which was in a low bun.

All of this beautiful getup for something ridiculous.

A few weeks earlier, her father, King Bartra, had gotten unusually drunk at a meeting with the King of Camelot who suggested a new competition for the Young Holy Knights Graduation. This new event included a princess in a fake tower, who was to be rescued by young Holy Knights who would have to go through an obstacle course.

Elizabeth wouldn't have been bothered by this, except for the prize.

A kiss with the princess.

Elizabeth felt sick at the thought. She'd have to stand and watch some stupid boys mess about, knowing that one of them would kiss her.

Her father had already apologized multiple times, but nothing could be done. It had all been signed and it was too late to back out.

Originally, it was intended to be Margaret but she'd refused, saying that she wouldn't want to betray her own boyfriend who was Sir Gilthunder. It was uncommon for a princess to "date", but since it was Gilthunder, the family didn't really object.

Veronica had flat out refused, saying she'd castrate any boy who tried to kiss her. It was funny to watch Graimore's widening eyes and his change in stance to protect himself.

That left Princess Elizabeth.

The youngest princess was now getting ready before she entered the tower, a simple wooden structure painted to resemble a tower. She'd stand at the top, awaiting her "hero".

Elizabeth was not happy.

Yet there was someone even unhappier.

…

"Cheer up, Captain!" Ban cackled, handing Meliodas a beer, which the Dragon Sin ignored as he sat fuming.

"What's got the Captain so upset?" Diane asked King, who blushed at the giantess's proximity to him.

"Elizabeth is about to be kissed by some kid as a prize," King answered sadly, causing Diane to glare at the castle.

"That's not fair," Diane pouted," She's still so young. But I don't understand why Captain is upset."

"He doesn't like the idea of his little girl growing up, am I right?" Ban teased.

"Yeah," Meliodas grumbled, downing the beer before slamming it down on the table. Well, that was part of it. The main reason was that he couldn't bear to see his soulmate be kissed by someone else. He loved Elizabeth and had wanted her first kiss to be with him, when she was older obviously. But now, some scrawny brat would be stealing what was his.

"Let's head down," Meliodas suddenly grinned, trying to get rid of the possessive feelings swelling up inside of him.

…

"Welcome to the Annual Young Holy Knight's Graduation Ceremony," an announcer yelled, causing the crowd to roar," Each year, our youngest knights in training graduate to join the Holy Knights Ranks. This year, however, we have an extra special treat."

"An obstacle course in which our young boys will have to face perils in order to save the princess!" the announcer exclaimed, gesturing to the large tower which Elizabeth now stood in. She shyly waved to the crowd, causing them to cheer.

"The winner will be the first person to rescue the princess," the announcer continued," and the prize is a kiss with the princess!"

Wolf whistles filled the streets at this, causing Meliodas to tense up in rage. His Elizabeth now stood still, an awkward expression on her face.

"The young knights will have to crawl through this prickly forest, weave their way through the twisty maze and finally, they must use a bow and arrow to hit the target before they can retrieve the princess," the announcer explained as the young boys lined up at the starting point.

"Ready, set, go!"

A loud boom signified that the race had started and the young boys were off. The first obstacle was a field of barbed wire which they had to crawl under.

Elizabeth couldn't help but snicker as already, two boys were stuck under the mesh as their clothes got caught.

The next test was the maze. At this point, the crowd felt bad as they heard one of the boys begin to cry as he couldn't find his way out.

Finally, the target.

One young man with golden armor and fiery locks grabbed the bow with confidence. Elizabeth recognized him as Prince Arthur of Camelot, the son of the man who'd suggested this stupid event in the first place. Elizabeth guessed that this was the King's way of attempting to set up an arranged marriage between his son and a princess of Liones, much to her disgust.

…

Meliodas watched on with a slight smirk as the boy failed to hit the targets. If it was him, he'd have hit them first try, easy. The blonde glanced up at Elizabeth to see if she found it funny, but her expression was one of panic. Confused, Meliodas focused in to see the wooden castle beginning to crumble.

"Elizabeth!" Meliodas cried out, pushing through the crowd. Everyone gasped and shrieked in horror as the tower collapsed along with an ear splitting scream. When the dust settled, all that was left was a pile of painted wood. No princess. No Holy Knight.

"Where is Elizabeth?!" the Queen yelled, rushing towards the rubble. Before she reached it though, a piece of wood was pushed off the pile by none other than Meliodas himself who was underneath the debris with the Princess.

The blonde knight was covered in scratches now and was bleeding from his head. He'd managed to make it to Elizabeth just in time, throwing his body over hers in order to keep her safe.

Elizabeth was perfectly fine, though a little pale and shaky. She was being held by Meliodas who coughed from the cloud of dust around them.

"Are you okay Captain?" Diane asked, her tone one of worry and concern.

Meliodas gave a small grin before replying.

"I'm fine," he chuckled weakly.

"Is Elizabeth alright?" the Queen exclaimed, looking at her daughter with great concern.

"I'm okay, mum," Elizabeth replied softly. The Queen sighed with relief, knowing her child was safe.

"Thank you for saving her Meliodas," King Bartra said.

"It's not a big deal," Meliodas smiled," and I win the prize now, right?"

"Huh?" everyone asked, sharing confused expressions.

"Whoever rescued the princess would receive a kiss, right?" Meliodas grinned," So since I saved her…"

Meliodas quickly turned and gave Elizabeth a peck on the cheek, causing the audience to coo and clap at the sweet scene before them.

"Meliodas!"