A/N: Sorry if this one is rough, I wanted desperately to get this done and out. I'm on a semi-hiatus at the moment while I manage a lot at work over the next few weeks, but this story is always on the back of my mind and I did not want to wait until the end of May to get back to it. Thank you for all of your patience, and most of all to Galfridus, without whom this chapter wouldn't have happened at all.
Chapter Eight: Mist and Mystery
Escanor stares at his father, whose sword is pointed at his thundering heart. Sweat drips down his brow, and he feels frozen, wanting nothing more than to run—but the sight of the man who he had loved despite his abuse and betrayal leaves him stunned.
"You're dead," he says again. "You're dead!"
"No!" the king argues. "You're dead! I banished you for your treachery. Why are you here? Have you come to finish me off?"
The accusation hurts just as much as it did when he was younger, barely a teenager, facing his father's wrath in the throne room of the castle. The power that had manifested so suddenly and so dangerously swarmed underneath his skin as he met every accusation stoically, as he bowed his head when the king listed his crimes: sedition, conspiracy, treason, attempted murder. He shakes his head, blinking at the ground, trying to understand.
"No," Escanor whispers, just as he had that day. "No, you're not—this can't be real!"
A blow lands on his cheek, sending him to one knee. Escanor gasps and finds his bearing, but before he can stand and face his father the sword is pressed to his neck, forcing him to lean away. "Does that seem not real?"
With some difficulty, he swallows. "What do you want?" Escanor asks.
"Revenge." Escalin's blood chills at the darkness in the response. "You destroyed us. Destroyed me. After I gave you everything." The tip of the sword slides again, extending the cut. "You betrayed us all for your own selfish gains. A traitor deserves death."
"I didn't," he hisses back, his face heating at how pathetic he sounds. "I never betrayed you. I never wanted this."
"Your power had to come from somewhere, Escanor," replies the king. His teeth are bared in a threatening glare. "You sold us for your own greed. Your own pride. My kingdom is gone now because of you."
Escanor trembles, a sick feeling in his stomach making it difficult to breathe. He has a flash of memory—his mother face-down in a pool of dried blood, his father's mouth frozen in a roar, his brother's arms—
"It was your fault," the king continues, his voice like gravel. Escanor remembers that tone well, and it makes him feel four or seven or ten years old again.
"—do it again, not good enough, you are a prince—"
Sometimes he would be reciting his lessons or riding a horse or performing his drills, but there was never praise. At best, his father would offer a cold indifference; at worse, a sound smack or a threat.
"—wonder if you are even my son, and not some bastard your mother—"
He clenches his fists, wanting to strike back, only the press of metal keeping him from doing so. "I didn't want it," Escanor replies. "I didn't know how to control it."
"Lies." The king bends down, their faces nearly touching. "You must have made a deal to become more powerful than me. You wanted my throne."
"It's not true. I don't know how it happened." They lock eyes, and Escanor can see the struggle behind the king's gaze. Every part of him hurts now, his body tight with tension and his hands sore from squeezing into fists. "Believe what you want. But I was a child."
The blade relaxes, then withdraws. Escanor looks up at the king, whose expression is softening, his nostrils flaring and mouth working. Finally he drops the sword to the ground with a dull thud and crashes to the ground, pulling him into a tight embrace with a cry. "My son! My son!"
Escanor nearly chokes in shock as his father cradles his head to his shoulder. This can't be real, and yet he is solid, arms firm and warm, the velvet and fur of his coat tickling Escanor's chin. "What-?"
"I should have known that it was all lies. It was the court, the nobles, they said—" The king pulls back, placing a hand on Escanor's cheek. "I sent you away, my firstborn son. I thought you were dangerous, but I was wrong. They were all lies, and it wasn't your fault."
These are words he had waited his entire life to hear: words that echoed deep inside dreams of blood on the floor and nights of darkness and fear and loneliness. Escanor shakes his head, trying to comprehend. "I came back though. I heard that the kingdom was in trouble. There was a—an uprising?"
The king nods. "The instability with your banishment, having to send the Crown Prince away left the people shaken. I had said it was your fault, but it wasn't. It was mine."
A tear slides down Escanor's cheek unnoticed. "I'm sorry," he says. "I should have been there."
"Come on." The king pulls up to his feet, bringing Escanor with him. "Let's go home."
"Home?" Escanor jerks from where his father holds his arm. "Castellio is gone!"
"We can rebuild!" He frowns at his father's pleading smile. "Together we can bring our kingdom back. I will rule and you will take the throne when I am gone. Let's leave together, right now."
The king looks so sincere, his eyes softer than he could ever remember them, that Escanor finds his heart moved. He sucks in a deep breath and takes a step forward towards his father's outstretched hands. This is what he has always wanted: a homecoming, his family back, waiting with open arms. A kind word from the king. I'm going home.
"Wait." He shakes his head, a heaviness blanketing him suddenly. "Merlin. I… I have to find her."
"Merlin?" The question is sharp. "Who is that?"
"She's…" His head swims a bit, and Escanor must blink back into focus to find the king staring at him with a frown. "I'm her bodyguard. She hired me to help her."
"Help her do what?"
What was it? Something he didn't want to do? "We're going somewhere," he answers. Why is his mouth so dry? "To save a princess."
The king huffs. "Don't talk such foolishness. You're not a bodyguard. You're the Crown Prince of Castellio. You don't have time for this."
He is right, Escanor knows he is right. His father turns and begins walking through the mist, and he is on his heels, not wanting to lose him. But something nags at him uncomfortably. "She's missing. I need to find her."
"Who is missing?" the king asks over his shoulder.
"The princess. She's missing… no. No, she's back at the tavern." Escanor pauses, pressing a hand to his forehead. "No, Merlin is missing. She left and—" He whirls around suddenly with wide eyes. "I have to find her!"
"I should have known you'd end up with one of those kind. As if your betrayal of your family and your kingdom wasn't enough, now you've disgraced yourself even further by having dealings with one of them."
That is the tone he has known from his youth, the one that still berates him from time to time. "One of what?" he demands, facing his father. "What do you mean?"
The king looks at him scornfully. "Those mages. The ones from the ruined city. Hadn't thought any were left. You know, there was a time we used to kill those witches when we found them."
"No, no that's…" Escanor huffs in frustration. "I need to find Merlin. I have to get her back to the tavern. She could be lost somewhere in this mist."
"You will do no such thing," the king orders. "You are coming with me, back to Castellio."
His heart lurches in his chest. "But—"
"You would leave me again?" his father demands, grabbing at his arm. "Betray me again? Leave your family behind? Your mother is waiting for you, would you break her heart again?"
"My mother…?" Escanor's brows draw tightly together, one hand going out to steady himself. Think, think. But all he knows of his mother is her body facedown in a pool of blood.
"Please, Escanor. Please. I've apologized. I said I was wrong for sending you away."
"Yes, I know, but…"
"Escanor your place is with me. By my side." His father squeezes the hand clutching his arm. "I need a knight like you."
Escanor looks at him, a mixture of shock and horror shaking him from the cobwebs and bringing him back to reality. "I'm not a knight," he says. "I'm a bodyguard."
He yanks away from the king's grip as he father gives a roar. Turning, he takes off in a run, his father's voice chasing him through the mist. "No Escanor! Get back here!"
"It's not real, it's not real," he pants to himself as he runs. The mist still surrounds him and quickly swallows up the king's bellowing, and when Escanor risks a glance behind him, he is relieved to see nothing following.
Hurrying, he renews his search for Merlin. Every step away from the king clears his mind, and he knows in his heart it was a trick. Something about the mist showed him his deepest desire, and he remembers Merlin's warning: people can disappear… the forest gives you living dreams.
"No shit," he mutters to himself. Putting his hand out, he reaches until his fingertips come in contact with the rough bark of a birch tree. Escanor pulls out his knife and makes a notch in the wood, then turns his head, debating which way to go. He wishes he had a bit of rope to help, but at least he has a starting point. Now to simply move in a straight line—the forest had to have an ending somewhere. Then he can circle around and find the tavern, and hopefully get help to find Merlin.
He listens closely, but there is no sound. Escanor moves to his right, counting his steps, and ten steps away he reaches the next tree. He carves another dent in the birch, continuing on, moving as straight as possible, doubling back every once in a while to make sure he was not going in circles. Yet after at least an hour, there is still nothing around him but the silver bark and white mist. He sits heavily on the ground for a rest, wiping his damp brow as he tries to think.
It has been at least two hours since they set out, figuring they had walked for at least a half hour or so before finding the fairies. He pounds a fist into the ground at the memory. He knew they would be trouble, but Escanor curses himself for not taking the warning about the wood seriously. If he had had his powers, he has no doubt he would have been aware of the magic that resides in the forest, maybe even been able to pinpoint the stupid flower she had wanted. Once more the loss of his magic settles bitterly in his chest.
All this trouble over a stupid woman needing a stupid flower. This is why he stays away from the whole lot of them.
"Never should have taken this job," he mutters. Escanor reaches up to wipe at the cut on his cheek, his perspiration stinging it sharply. If he finds one of those stupid little sprites he's going to blast every last one of them out of the sky. Then he's going to blast her, once he makes her give him back his powers. "Stubborn damn woman," he mutters to himself. "Expects me to protect her, meanwhile she holds my power and runs off with a bunch of talking bugs. Not a damn lick of sense between them all, getting involved in the knights' matters, making me go to Vaizel like—"
"Talking bugs!"
His head jerks up in time to see a flash of light in the mist. "Hey!" he calls.
"Hey!"
Escanor scrambles forward on hands and knees, spotting another colored light. "Come back here!"
"Come back here!"
"Again with the echo," he mutters, and the tittering in the fog draws his ire. "Show me where you've taken Merlin!"
"Merlin! Merlin!"
There is another glow in the mist, but this one stays steady. He stands and walks towards it, following it through the clouds. It never leaves his sight, moving quickly but not too quick. Escanor is a bit out of breath keeping up, so much so that he fails to notice right away how the haze is lifting. It is not until the light blinks out, and he gives a cry of frustration, that he realizes he can see several feet in front of him, into a small clearing in the trees.
In the center is a figure crumpled on the ground. Escanor launches himself forward with a shout, falling to the ground to turn Merlin over.
Her eyes are closed, and he whispers her name as he leans in to check her breathing. "Merlin? Merlin, can you hear me?" She doesn't answer, her skin pale and clammy to the touch. Yet Escanor can feel her breath feathering against his cheek as he hauls her against him. "Merlin, open your eyes. Come on."
Gently he shakes her, then rubs his hands up and down her arms. "Merlin? Merlin, we have to go. Wake up."
Escanor tightens his grip, his heart beating wildly. He checks for injuries but finds nothing obvious; what has happened to her? Was she attacked? Did she see a vision as well? "What did you do?" he shouts into the mist, that has receded behind the line of trees.
A fairy zips into view, landing on Merlin's leg. Escanor narrows his eyes menacingly. "Get off of her."
"Get off of her." It takes to the air, then jets in a zig-zag pattern, hovering over them.
Escanor ignores it to take another look. He settles Merlin across his lap, her head cradled against his chest and her neck supported by the crook of his arm. Her lips part slightly, and he uses his free hand to check her forehead and to press against her chest. Her temperature and her heartbeat seem normal, so he carefully feels along her arms, then her legs, searching for a dampness that would signal blood loss. But there is nothing, so he simply stares at her sleeping in his lap, wondering what to do next.
"Gods be damned," he says. Escanor takes her hand and presses it to his cheek. "Merlin, you must know I'm here. Please wake up."
He rubs his thumb against her skin absentmindedly, searching her face for a sign she understood. Then the fairy buzzes by again, and with a sharp reflex he grabs it and plucks it from the air. The fairy gives a high-pitched squeal and pulls at its leg now trapped between his fingers, but Escanor ignores the protests to bring it eye-level.
"Tell me what happened," he demands. "What's wrong with her?"
"What's wrong with her?" it echoes, its voice wild with panic.
"That's what I want to know!" bellows Escanor, giving it a shake. "Did she see a vision?"
"A vision! A vision!" The voices chirp around them, and he lets the fairy go as he looks around.
"Help me," he says. The fairy he had caught hovers in front of his face, glowering as best a ball of glowing light can. Escanor works his jaw before muttering, "Fine. I'm sorry. Now can you please help me get her out of here?"
The fairy glares at him, slowly inching forward until it nearly touches his nose. Then it gives him a solid kick (feeling somewhat like a flick on the nose from a tutor catching him dozing at lessons) and says very slowly and glumly, "Out. Of. Here."
"Yes, yes," Escanor agrees. He climbs to his feet, pulling Merlin into his arms as he lifts her bridal-style. "Take us back to the tavern, please."
It does not move, but simply glows brighter; a bit ahead, another light blinks on, a greener hue than the one in front of him. He glances at the fairy and says, "Do I follow?"
"Follow! Follow!" it says impatiently.
"Right."
Follow he does, one light after the other, the mist getting thinner and thinner as he walks as quickly as he can without jostling Merlin. When the tiled roof of the Boar Hat finally appears, he shouts in triumphs and begins to run, emerging from the line of trees to find Ban and Meliodas talking just outside of the door. "There you are!" Meliodas calls, waving a hand. "We thought the two of you—"
"Move! I have to get her inside!" Meliodas and Ban spring into action, opening the door and pushing aside a wayward chair as Escanor hurries into the tavern. He can hear Meliodas calling for Elizabeth as he takes the stairs two at a time until he reaches the third floor bedroom, shouldering the door open and laying Merlin gently down on the bed.
"What's happened?" the princess cries as she hurries inside.
Escanor huffs as he walks around the bed, helping her remove Merlin's cloak. "I don't know. We ran into some fairies and were separated. I found her like this."
Elizabeth looks at him in alarm, then blinks rapidly before nodding. She goes to work doing just as Escanor had done: pressing a palm to her forehead, her chest, carefully moving her limbs. "Is she going to be alright?" he asks, his voice strained.
"I'm sure Merlin will be fine." Her eyes flicker up at him. "Go down and have a rest yourself. I need to remove some of her clothing."
He almost protests, but then the memory of her naked and teasing him, of her wearing just his shirt (was that really this morning? it felt a lifetime ago!) makes his ears burn. Quickly he heads out the door and stomps down the steps until he can finally sink heavily on a stool at the bar.
"Yo, you alright there, Escanor?"
He looks up at Meliodas' blond head wiping out glasses behind the counter. "Did you see things in the wood?" he asks in answer.
Meliodas hums in thought. "Not really. Didn't find any game, though. Mist got thick in places. I don't even know if there are any animals out here." He leans an elbow on the wood and draws closer. "Did you really see a fairy?"
"Dozens," sighs Escanor, leaning his head on his hand.
His forehead is throbbing, and he slouches out of his own cloak, unbuttoning a few buttons on his shirt. A mug of beer is placed in front of him, and Escanor takes the cold brew gratefully, halfway draining it in one long drink. "Thanks," he says as he wipes his mouth.
"You looked like you could use it." Escanor glances up, but Meliodas has his back turned. "Do you know what happened to her?"
"No," admits Escanor. "We were separated. I found her on the ground." He sighs. "She didn't seem hurt."
"She's not." They both turn as Elizabeth slides into a stool next to him. "Just asleep. It looks like she fainted."
The thought douses his spine with a chill. He thinks of his father, calling him a traitor before offering him a crown that no longer exists. It makes sense that the mist would show him such a mirage: that alone would keep him wandering the woods forever, if that was what it wanted. "Merlin said people go missing," he says. "That they see things in the mist."
"Maybe she saw something in the mist that scared her," Meliodas muses.
Escanor frowns. "That doesn't seem like Merlin."
"We all have things that scare us," Elizabeth says. He watches as she exchanges a glance at Meliodas. "Perhaps Merlin saw her father."
"Her… father?"
They both look at him, Elizabeth turning a rosy glow as Melidas shuffles nervously. Once more the vision of his father rises to his mind, the feeling of utter confusion mixed with longing making his stomach sink like a stone. He grabs his mug to take another long drink. Escanor had cajoled her the night before for not being forthcoming with him. What if she is hiding some secret, like he is? Guilt pricks hotly on his skin.
"Doesn't matter," Elizabeth finally says. "I'm sure she'll wake soon."
Meliodas nods. "We should get going before anything else happens. I'll have the tavern start heading for Vaizel."
He disappears into the back calling for Ban and Gowther just Escanor stands as he finishes of his ale. "If it's alright, I'll go clean up and then sit with Merlin," he says to Elizabeth.
The princess smiles up at him sweetly. "You do care for her a great deal, don't you?"
"What? No, I… I have a job to do, that's all." Escanor clears his throat uncomfortably. "I'm her bodyguard."
Elizabeth chuckles. "Merlin isn't easy to get along with, but once she likes you, she makes it easy." The tavern tilts a bit, and she places a hand on his arm to help steady him. "Go on up. If she wakes, give me a shout."
Escanor agrees and once more climbs the steps, quietly opening the door and peeking inside. Merlin is still asleep, her tunic opened a bit and her boots removed and placed on the floor, the blanket lying loosely over her form. Shutting the door behind him, he sheds his own boots and belt and moves to his pack, fishing out a clean shirt. He pulls his dirty and damp one off and sighs as he pulls on the sleeveless one, walking around to close the curtains and draw a chair up to the side of the bed. It seems improper to get in with her in this state, so he tries to sit as comfortably as he can in the chair, watching her breathing as the sky behind the curtains gets darker and darker.
He is dozing a bit when he hears the others on the steps, heading to their rooms. Escanor stretches a bit and looks over to see Merlin still sleeping. But her position has moved, and he smiles a bit as he leans closer. "Merlin? Can you hear me?"
Gently he pushes her hair back from her forehead, but she gives no response. "What did you see out there?" he murmurs.
He watches her for another moment before sighing. Escanor eases back, but her hand reaches out and catches his. Her eyelashes flutter as her fingers entwine with his weakly, and Escanor cannot help the smile the draws over his face.
He puts out the lamp Elizabeth had left and slips into the bed, pulling Merlin against him. He lays back on the pillows as she settles, her head once more on his shoulder with his arm cradled around her, just like when he found her in the forest. "I'm glad you're okay," Escanor murmurs against her hair. "You had me worried."
Her breathing is steady, so he figures she is dozing. Escanor rubs her arms lightly before settling back himself. He thinks about the things his father had told him, about what happened to Castellio, about the consequences of his banishment. Escanor had been holding onto the fear of it all being his fault for nearly two decades, and even if it wasn't real, it still proves a comfort to hear the explanation from his father. He wonders how the mist works, if it looks into his memories, or his dreams, to pull out his desires.
But… the king had talked about Merlin too. He had called her a mage, and what else? The ones from the ruined city. What had that meant? How would the mist know that? Escanor wonders if he heard it somewhere, a bit of trivia he had picked up and sat dormant until now. Yet Meliodas had said she might have been scared, and Elizabeth mentioned her father. Was he a part of these witches? This ruined city, wherever or whatever that is?
Escanor glances down at her face, now peaceful and (he must admit grudgingly) very beautiful. Her dark hair fans in silky strands against her smooth skin, creamy and slightly sunkissed, her lashes thick and dark, her lips full and a bit pink. Has someone hurt you? he wonders, and wants to ask. But he can't, not while she sleeps, so he settles for deciding he will not allow anyone to hurt her again.