Chapter Six: Show and Tell

One good thing Escanor could say about the Boar Hat: Ban really is an excellent cook. Once he had finally woken up from his nap, Ban had stumbled into the kitchen and after a short while produced an amazing spread of roasted chicken, ham soup, cabbage and greens, garlic toast, and steamed apples. All was forgiven from the night before with that feast the second the delicious smell had spread through the tavern.

Unfortunately, little else about the Boar Hat is much to his liking. The constant rocking has the glasses clinking on the wall and the stools sliding across the floor, making a scraping noise that sets his teeth on edge. Merlin flat out ignores his questions, instead choosing to chat with Gowther and laugh with Elizabeth and encourage the others in their childish horseplay. The biggest annoyance however is how they all argue quite a bit—well, more like constantly. And what is worse, they enjoy it immensely.

First the three knights quarrel about going to Vaizel, until the one named Gilthunder puts his foot down. "We have to stay closer to the capital or our sudden disappearance will be missed," he argues.

"Nonsense!" Meliodas laughs. "You're high-ranking knights. They won't care if you take a few days off."

"We have orders," says Howzer. "From them and you. Now let us off this thing!"

After a bit more arguing, Meliodas finally relents. The tavern pitches itself to a sudden stop, sending them all sprawling on the floor (this is when Ban finally wakes up with a "huh?"), and the three jump off of what Escanor learns is a giant pig carrying the building on its head.

"The Boar Hat. Very clever." His sarcastic tone is ignored when he frowns at Merlin. "What is with you all and pigs?" She simply shrugs in answer.

"Insanity," he mutters as he helps turn the chairs and tables back the right way. Merlin moves around the counter to pour a round of shots; deciding to try to make the best of it, Escanor toasts with them to a Liones free of tyranny once the tavern begins to move again.

Then further arguments start. Once he tastes the liquor, Meliodas takes Merlin to task for choosing that specific bottle ("I've been saving that for sixty years, you know this!"), while Merlin disputes him right back ("How would I know such a thing when I haven't seen you in at least eighty?"). It is all a load of nonsense he can hardly make any sense out of, until Meliodas actually climbs onto the counter, forcing Escanor to lift him off by the back of his shirt before he can lunge at Merlin. The squabble ends as Ban enters with platters of food, but Escanor spies her tucking the bottle away behind some others on the shelf.

After their meal, Meliodas and Gowther finally walk him through the plans for the resistance, with Elizabeth filling in the blanks. She speaks quietly but quite bravely as she describes being in her father's study when the knights had burst in to arrest them all; apparently the princess had escaped by dressing as a knight and slipping away. Escanor watches as Meliodas patted her hand, offering a handkerchief from his pocket that she takes gratefully. Elizabeth smiles at him, which Escanor has no choice but to return, her bright eyes and sweet expression charming him into agreeing to help them, at least for a little while.

There are many things he had wanted to ask her, but the fear divulging too much of himself if he isn't careful prevails—Merlin had already picked up that he knew about the earring. So he holds his tongue and asks questions instead about their numbers and how trustworthy their intelligence is, still careful not to accidentally reveal his own upbringing and training. They all speak over one another as they answer him, Ban and Meliodas disagreeing on the counts of spies and Gowther offering unasked-for quotes from books he had read until Escanor's head is pounding with the sound of their voices. He realizes he is missing the quiet of the forest and being on the road with just Merlin, as tiresome of a companion she could be at times.

Merlin is suspiciously silent through the conversation, and once night falls she announces she is heading to bed abruptly. Meliodas and Ban prepare a line of mugs for another night of drinking, but Escanor quickly declines, saying his own goodnight before taking the stairs two at a time until he reaches the third floor bedroom and steps inside.

Which is how he finds himself face-to-face with a partially dressed Merlin and with his skin on fire.

"I'm sorry!" he yelps when she turns to look at him, pulling a towel tightly around her body.

Escanor quickly spins but she simply laughs. "Just shut the door."

He pushes it shut and stays frozen, his hands on the door. There are footsteps behind him and the sound of fabric. "I didn't know you were in here," he calls over.

"Obviously."

Escanor clears his throat uncomfortably. "I didn't see anything," he offers.

"Of course you didn't," Merlin chuckles. "I wasn't naked."

He blushes again furiously, gritting his teeth. Why does she say stupid stuff like that? "What are you doing in here anyway?" he mutters.

"You can turn around now."

Of all the things he had prepared himself to see, Merlin standing in one of his shirts is the last thing he had expected. There are two lamps on, washing the room, now growing darker as the sun sets, in a soft yellow glow, and giving him plenty of light to take a good, long look at her.

His jaw drops open to see the off-white fabric of one of his clean spares draping over her form, the fit obviously too big. The collar is open, revealing the slope of her neck and the top of her cleavage, then billowing out to hide her waist and hips. Yet it stops high up on her thigh, and his eyes drag down the two shapely legs, bare for the first time since they had set out together. Her feet are bare too, lovely and delicate, and he swallows thickly as his eyes trace back up her body. The sleeves are rolled up and bunched at her elbows, which is hidden when she folds her arms impatiently. "See something you like?"

It is a joke but there is a bite to it that has him shaking his head to clear it. "You're wearing my shirt," he says lamely.

Merlin shrugs, and a peek of her shoulder is visible under the collar. "I didn't exactly bring any lingerie with me. And it doesn't make sense to put my clothes back on now that I've had a bath. You don't mind, do you?"

Escanor's mouth is dry, so he shakes his head. "No, it's fine," he chokes out.

"Because I can ask Ban—"

"I said it's fine." With all the strength he possesses he turns away, trying to remain casual as he walks across the room. "Excuse me," he says before stumbling into the washroom and pushing the door closed behind him.

His head thunks backwards against the wood as he leans on the door and closes his eyes. "What the hell am I doing?" he moans to himself, pressing his hands on his face, feeling his skin clammy against his palms. Escanor doesn't get sidetracked by the opposite sex—something he has prided himself on up until now. Many other knights, and men in general, lose their minds to a set of light eyes and dark hair and long legs that flare into perfectly rounded hips beneath a tiny waist he could wrap his hands around as her breasts hidden beneath the fabric press against—

Lunging for the sink, he pours water from the spout and splashes his face several times. There is a little round mirror that hangs on the wall, and even though the only light is from the fading dusk outside he looks up at his reflection. His hair hangs in wet strands around his face, his eyes still a bit sunken from the drinking the night before and his cheeks betraying him with a vivid shade of pink. The scent of soap is still heavy in the air, and he remembers what she said about taking a bath, his skin a bit tight to think of her in here with nothing else on.

It's been a… while, he supposes, since he had such a reaction. Not that he doesn't think about women, or notice them; on the contrary, Escanor was more than fond of the fairer sex. But his position, then his lack of it, made it necessary to keep his interests tightly held. Plus he wasn't one to frequent the types of places where such things were readily available. It had been a long time since he had come face-to-face with a girl—with a woman—so close with so little between them. For a moment a memory rises: Escanor is thirteen, his mouth pressing again and again with a nobleman's daughter, her blonde hair silky as it falls over his face. Neither know what to do, moving solely on instinct as she rolls on top of him in the grass, their tongues moving in a wild dance, and he presses his hand over the soft wool covering her small breast as her mouth moves to his neck.

That's about as far as he ever got. It wasn't long after that that he had to leave the kingdom. And that's all this is, just some long dormant lust that surfaced seeing a scantily clad woman in his room. Nothing else.

"It's Merlin," he tells himself. "You're on a job. You're going to drop her off at Vaizel and you're never going to see her again." His eyes narrow as he scolds himself. "Now get your shit together before she thinks you're in here doing—"

"Everything okay?" her voice calls through the door.

"Yeah!" With a final critical look at himself, Escanor opens the door and steps back into the bedroom.

He is surprised to see her climbing into the bed. "What are you doing?" he asks.

Merlin pulls back the cover and sits up against the pillows. "Where else am I going to sleep?" she laughs. "Meliodas and Elizabeth are downstairs, Ban has the room across the hall, and Gowther is in the attic."

Escanor huffs, his hands on his hips. "Well you can't sleep here."

They stare at each other for a long moment; then Merlin extends her legs and slips down to settle on the pillows, pulling the cover up over her lap. The standoff continues for another minute before Escanor snaps, "Fine! I'll sleep on the floor then."

Merlin erupts into laughter and shakes her head. "Oh come on, don't be like that. We've been sleeping together for nearly two weeks."

He splutters as he pulls off his boot, unsteady on one foot as he stumbles. "We have not been sleeping together!"

"You know what I mean." He rights himself and turns around, unbuckling his belt and pulling his shirt from the waistband. "I didn't realize you're such a prude."

Escanor grits his teeth, grinding painfully. "I'm not a prude. I just don't go around—"

"What is that?"

He pauses, his shirt halfway over his head, and as Escanor twists around he gets momentarily stuck in the fabric. Finally he pulls his head free just as two sets of fingertips press against his back, making him freeze.

He feels her trace the birthmark that is there. "It's nothing," he says.

"Doesn't look like nothing." Merlin snaps her fingers and her orb floats over, glowing a bright blue and throwing a soft light between them. "Is it a burn?"

"No."

"No," she murmurs. Escanor shivers as her touch glides along his back, slowly tracing the oval shape. "Not a burn," Merlin says softly, as if to herself. "Looks more like…"

Escanor stiffens as her thumb strokes his shoulder blade lightly, afraid of what she will say next. But then her hands drop to his waist, pressing on his hips for a moment before she is gone. He looks over his shoulder curiously. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Her noncommittal answer is typical, and he turns away as she sits back on the bed, her face already intensely focused on the orb.

Escanor slowly finishes undressing, his heart beating wildly. It was stupid of him to be so careless; the mark on his back is not a story he easily shares. Once in a while he glances at Merlin, expecting to catch her looking at him. But her eyes never seem to meet his, so eventually he relaxes.

That is, until he realizes he has to be in something for bed as well. Socks, vest, shirt, and chausses are removed, leaving him in just the leggings underneath, and beneath that, his final layer of undergarments.

Once more his body betrays him and he blushes. He could go to bed in just his underwear; after all, it covers the—ahem—important parts anyway. And if Merlin can flout herself around in just his shirt, her slim body and the curves he has memorized (when did he memorize them?!) just barely outlined underneath the linen—

He gulps, one hand going out to press against the wall and steady himself. With a glance downwards, he decides to keep the extra layer on. Just in case.

Escanor moves to the bed and reaches for the pillow when Merlin finally looks up. "Will you stop being such a prude?" she sighs. "Just get into the bed. I promise I won't look at your cheese or crackers."

Her smirk douses any of the lingering whatever that had him distracted earlier. "Very funny," he grumbles, climbing in and dousing the light on his side before he pulls the cover up.

Escanor rolls to his side, facing away from her. The window is open, a cool breeze moving the curtain as the air sweeps over his skin. It is peaceful other than the occasional voice or thump from downstairs, and he chuckles to himself, wondering how Meliodas and Ban are getting on with their contest.

"What's funny?" Merlin asks.

"Where did you meet that crew downstairs?" he asks.

Merlin snorts. "That's a long story."

Escanor rolls his eyes. "And one I'm sure you won't tell me."

"What do you mean?"

With a frown he turns over a bit to look at her pointedly over his shoulder. The orb is settled in her lap, the glow lighting her face and hair in a faint blue shimmer. Her brows are draws as she looks at him disapprovingly, and Escanor gives a sarcastic laugh. "You don't tell me anything. So why would you tell me that?"

"I tell you things."

"Oh really?" He sits up, leaning his weight back on his elbows pressed into the bed. "You? Tell me things? You mean like how you're in the resistance for Liones? Or why we're going to Vaizel? Or what about my power you find so darn interesting?"

Merlin folds her arms sullenly, and Escanor refuses to look at how his shirt is now pulled tightly against her body. "None of that has anything to do with what I hired you for," she protests. When he gives her a weary look, however, she sags a bit. "Fine. But you haven't been up front with me either, you know."

Escanor's jaw drops. "What are you talking about?"

"What you were really doing in Solanges. Where you got your power. How you knew Elizabeth was princess of Liones." She lifts her chin haughtily as he blanches. "Looks like we're both guilty."

His mustache twitches in annoyance. "Fine," he says.

"Fine."

They stare at one another, neither making an attempt to talk, before Escanor heaves a sigh and flops back over, turning his back to her.

He swallows uncomfortably, knowing he is being childish. Why does Merlin bring out the worst in him? He tries to picture what she is doing now: probably staring daggers into his back. But that makes him think of the way she had touched him, her fingertips soft and gentle as they traced the planes and ridges of his back, as she stood behind him in his shirt and made him blush. The way her touch was cool and her voice quiet as she asked him about the secret he carries.

"The Grand Master is using demon magic," Merlin says.

Her voice is unexpected and pulls him from the memory. "What?"

"I think he's using demon magic," she replies. Escanor turns his face slightly, listening as she takes a breath. "It's the only thing that makes sense, based on his actions. There is only one way that he could be using it, and that's if he has found a way to open the seal to the demon realm."

"I thought the demons were a myth," Escanor says.

"I did too," she says, her voice small. Then she pauses, and the silence stretches on a moment too long; but just as he goes to roll over and check if she is okay Merlin continues, "Anyway, that's why we're—why I'm—going to Vaizel. If it's true, they can't have all the things they need, and I think there is a piece there. I want to get it before the Holy Knights do."

Escanor doesn't know what to say, simply nodding. Merlin murmurs a good night and douses the light, and behind him he feels her slide under the covers and settle on the mattress.

He listens to her breathing for several minutes before clearing his throat. "I met King Baltra when I was a child," Escanor says. "I met his three daughters, too. Elizabeth could not have been more than two or three at the time—but I remember her silver hair, and I remember the blue symbol of their household hanging on the flags in the throne room. The queen had earrings very similar, maybe even the same one."

Escanor does not offer any more details, and Merlin does not comment. Her breathing is steady, and he wonders if she even heard him.