A/N: Sorry for the double update! I actually published chapter 10 on AO3 last week, but FFNet was having some issues and I couldn't get the doc to upload for you all. So please go check out chapter 10 before reading this one!

Chapter Eleven: Cheese and Crackers

The sound of trumpets and shouting are lost on Escanor as he watches the head of dark hair get swallowed by the crowd. The audience presses in, and he leans precariously towards the edge, his eyes darting about to try and find the one going in the opposite direction. "Merlin! Merlin!"

An explosion of pain sends him tumbling, and only a quick twist keeps him from flying over the edge. He lands hard on his left shoulder before Escanor quickly jumps to his feet. "You son of a bitch!" he yells.

He swings around to see who hit him, finding himself face to face with a man nearly as large as he, smirking as he cracks his knuckles. "Jus' tryna help ya dere, bud," he chuckles. "Ya almos' offer de edge. I canna getya dere faster if ya hold still."

Escanor's brows draw into a deep frown, confused for a moment; then he takes in the sight around them. It seems as though the eliminations have begun, men fighting one another with fists and magic, in groups and one-on-one. Some go flying over the side, the referees busy running about to declare one or another out. The round is more a brawl than anything, and there doesn't seem to be any rules, except to stay on the platform.

"I don't have time for this shit," he grumbles. "Meliodas! Where are you!"

He turns to head back into the fray, but the one who attacked him grabs his shoulder. "Hold up 'ere, bud, didna say—"

Escanor sends him flying into the crowd with a single punch. He watches the people part a bit where he lands, but feels no satisfaction from taking him down so easily. This is child's play, or worse, a fool's competition, and he wants out. Just as soon as he finds the others.

"Meliodas!" he shouts, swinging back around. "Ban! Gowther!"

Weaving through the fights, Escanor manages to inch towards the center. One tall, skinny man takes a swing at him, which he easily dodges; he sends the man skittering across the ground with a kick, not bothering to check if he stayed on the platform or not. Finally he spots the spiky hair and ridiculous red leather of his former drinking partner, shoving someone to the right as he steps around them.

Ban is looking side to side, seemingly confused. He holds a short young man by the collar, the poor soul's feet not even touching the ground as Ban scratches his head. "Let me go! Let me go!" he shouts.

"Just a minute," Ban snaps. "If the Captain doesn't see me punch you, it won't count."

"Ban!" Escanor reaches him and the cook jerks his chin in greeting. "Where are the others?"

"That's what I want to know," grumbles Ban. "Captain and I have a bet as to who can knock out the most guys, but it only counts if we see the tally. I caught this one—" here he holds the youngster up as he begins kicking his legs futilely, "—but I can't punch him until I find the little asshole."

"Help me!" the man shouts, but Escanor just shakes his head.

"I need him too," he says. "I saw Merlin in the crowd, and I need to get to her!"

Ban snorts. "Merlin isn't gonna talk to you. She was too pissed yesterday. Sat up in her room and wouldn't come out." Escanor blanches, blinking rapidly at him, and starts when Ban shouts unexpectedly, "Hey! Captain! Over here!"

"Where's the Boar Hat?" Escanor shouts.

Ban ignores him as Meliodas arrives, dragging an unconscious man under his arm in a headlock. "Hey! I got another!"

"Doesn't count," Ban argues. "I didn't see you hit him. You could have picked him up from anywhere."

"How dare you!" yells Meliodas with mock anger. He unceremoniously dumps his catch on the ground. "I would never!"

Escanor grits his teeth. He is so tired of all of them. "Meliodas, tell me—"

"Shut it and watch me punch this guy," Ban answers, lifting his victim and pulling his free arm back.

The young man starts screaming with renewed fervor, kicking furiously. "No! Stop!"

"Tell me where the Boar Hat is!" Escanor shouts, reaching out to grab Ban's elbow and stopping him.

Ban shouts at him to let go, but to their surprise, the young man squeaks, "The Boar Hat! That's you guys?"

Meliodas beams. "Yup, I'm the owner. I see you've heard of us!"

The young man shakes his head. "There are Holy Knights looking for you. They were all over the place before sign-ups, offering money for information on a boar's hat. I didn't know what they meant. You guys are in trouble!"

Ban lowers his arm as he and Meliodas exchange a look. "Elizabeth," Meliodas whispers, his face going a bit pale.

But Escanor is seething. "I told you!" he roars. "I told you both, and you didn't listen to me! We need to find them!"

"You." Ban turns his narrow eyes on the young man he still grips, and the boy shakes. "What's your name?"

"King," he breathes.

Ban snorts. "King of what?"

"Ban!"

"Okay, okay. Would you remember what those guys looked like?"

King nods. "Yeah. Just don't murder me."

Rolling his eyes, Ban sets him on his feet, but still holds tightly to his collar. "I wasn't gonna murder you. Don't be so dramatic."

"Gowther!" Meliodas shouts, and a second later he appears. "Let's go."

Escanor turns to head back the way he came, but the other three step in the opposite direction. "Where are you going?" he yells as he takes a step.

"Boar Hat's this way," Meliodas says, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

"But Merlin went in that direction!"

Gowther tilts his head to the side as he looks where Escanor points. "Logically she would head back to the tavern no matter what direction. That is the most likely scenario."

Escanor heaves an annoyed huff. "You four go. I'm going to follow her. If there are knights around then—"

"We have our top five!"

A roar goes up as the crowd goes wild, nearly shaking the ground with the noise. "What now?" Escanor grumbles, unable to even hear himself. They all look up to see the space is empty, except for the four of them (five if you count King, who is barely standing on his toes) standing together in the center.

The announcer hurries over and clasps Meliodas on the back. "Well done!" he says, garnering another cheer from the crowd. "We have our top five! Tomorrow you five will compete for the winner of our festival!"

"Excellent!" Meliodas cheers, high-fiving Ban and Gowther. King stares at him dumbly, so Meliodas must lift his arm to give him a slap on the hand.

But when he wheels on Escanor, he only looks down at Meliodas sternly. "Oh! Right!" he says sheepishly.

Meliodas turns to the announcer and says, "Sorry! We need to go! But thanks!"

The four of them (five if you count King, who Ban carries despite his continuous protests) scatter, darting away, leaving the crowd and the announcer yelling in their wake. Escanor vaults off the side of the rock and weaves his way through the throng; luckily most see him coming and move without him shouting and pushing them away. He heads in the direction he thinks Merlin went, but with the crowd beginning to disperse a bit it is harder to figure out what he had seen from above.

He reaches the road that brought him here from the entrance to town. Turning in a circle, his eyes search in all directions for her, but it is impossible. Dusk is upon them, and many are moving towards the food and ale stalls, others lining up to collect their bets. Escanor can feel the tinges of panic pricking his skin as he sweeps a hand through his hair, trying to come up with a plan. Think! She has to be somewhere!

Someone bumps into him, jostling his arm. Escanor remembers how Ban was able to intimidate some useful information from King, so he reaches out and grabs the man by the shirt. Despite the sun going down, he is easily two or even three times the man's size, and he uses that to his full advantage as he pulls him closer and peers down at him. "You," he says. "Tell me where to find a witch."

The man's blue eyes nearly pop out of his skull. "P-pardon?"

"I'm looking for a witch," Escanor says slowly. "Now tell me where a witch would go."

Swallowing, he answers, "...Hell?"

Fury flames under his skin as Escanor gets into his face. "What the fuck did you just say about her?"

The man's hands fly up in defense as he stammers, "No! No! That's the name of the apothecary shop!" He points wildly down the road. "They sell all kinds of weird things! It's called Hell's Boutique! Please don't kill me!"

Escanor sniffs, wiggling his mustache. He lets the man go, ignoring his cry as he scurries away. Heading in the direction the man had indicated, moments later he finds himself outside of a store attached directly to the mountain, a sign above it bearing only a red letter X carved or burned into the wood—

And Merlin stepping out of the door, which jingles as it closes. Relief floods him to know she is safe, and he calls her name, waving his hand to catch her attention. She spots him and freezes in shock. Their eyes meet, and Escanor laughs, forgetting all that has happened and how angry he had been, how tired he is from not sleeping, even the dull ache from the punch in the jaw he received not a half hour ago. Instead, he finds himself locked into the amber color, gleaming like the sun, and for the first time in two days he lets go a deep breath.

He opens his mouth to speak, but Merlin screws her mouth and heads determinedly back up the hill. "Merlin!" he shouts, reaching her easily and stepping to block her. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"You shouldn't have bothered," she huffs, her expression furious. Merlin glares up at him with such intensity he shrinks back a little. "I don't want to see you!"

She goes to step around him but Escanor blocks her again. "No," he replies seriously, holding up his hands. "You will listen to me."

"And why should I?" she challenges.

"Because I came back!" he yells. She looks taken aback, but still angry, so he clenches his fists as he tries to get his temper under control. "I came back. For you. To warn you. I was miles away and in the next town, and I escaped arrest and stole a horse and fought in the festival to find you. And you will listen to me, do you understand?"

Merlin sucks in a sharp breath. He waits for her to yell back, so when she speaks in a soft voice, it catches him by surprise. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say. You betrayed me."

"Betrayed you?"

"You promised to help fight and instead you left."

She looks beyond hurt, her eyes bright with pain, but the sharp tightness in his chest keeps him from relenting. "You kept things from me, Merlin," he argues. "Who you were, what we were doing here—it was one falsehood after another." She has the good graces to look away, so he decides to chance it and takes her by the arms, holding her firmly but gently. "But that's over. I'm here now, and we will both come clean with the truth. Agreed?"

Merlin seems to contemplate this before glancing up at him. "What truth are you talking about?"

"The Holy Knights have found you," he says gravely. Her mouth and eyes open wide with shock as he continues, "I saw Gilthunder meeting with the Grand Master. He told him everything, about the tavern and Elizabeth and—"

"No!" She shakes him off, but instead of moving away, she moves closer, putting her palms on his chest. "No, Escanor, you must be mistaken!"

He shakes his head, his brow creasing with the distress on her face. "I'm sorry, Merlin. He's betrayed you. And we have a witness saying the Holy Knights are here, looking for you."

Merlin gasps, putting her hand over her mouth. "Elizabeth! We must get to Elizabeth!"

"Yes," he agrees. "Which way to the tavern?"

"No time." She throws her arms around his neck, and before he can even shout in surprise the world spins, and disappears, until he lands with a thud in the grass under a canopy of trees.

"Son of a biscuit!" he yelps, sitting up to rub the back of his head. "What in the devil's ear was that?"

"Will you ever curse like a normal person?" she laughs, standing over him with a smirk. Despite the lovely sound, Escanor scowls up at her, but takes the hand she offers to pull him to his feet.

Escanor brushes himself off as she looks around. "So what was it?"

"Teleportation spell."

"Teleportation!" He grabs her arm and pulls her against him, and Merlin gasps. "You mean to tell me you can use Teleportation and yet you made me walk halfway across Britannia, you wretched woman?"

Merlin swallows. "Yes?"

Escanor's mustache twitches. He struggles between shouting at her and laughing, until slowly he releases his grip. "Right," he says. "And where are we now?"

"The Boar Hat is just over here." She winks at him and gestures for him to follow. "Come on."

She leads him to a thicket, which bends with a wave of her hand, and Escanor follows. The step through the trees into a large, empty field, where Merlin stops so suddenly he nearly crashes into her. "What are you doing?" he asks, looking around as he steps away. "Where is it?"

"Oh no, no, no, I left it here! It was right here!" She lets go a string of foul language that has him blushing furiously as she opens the bag on her hip and fishes out her orb. "Where could they have gone?"

"Meliodas and the others were heading back here," Escanor says mildly. "I'm sure they just moved it for safekeeping."

Merlin does not answer, studying the orb for a moment before declaring, "This way," and striking south.

Escanor follows with a sigh. "They can't have gone far. It's a giant boar with a tavern for a hat. It should be easy to spot."

"And easy for the Holy Knights as well." She glances up at him and asks, "You said you saw Gilthunder and the Grand Master? That isn't unusual, you know. Dreyfus is his uncle."

Escanor nods. "I saw them in a furious conversation. He looked upset. Agitated. But when we spoke the Grand Master seemed to know all of our plans."

Merlin frowns deeply into the orb. "That makes no sense. There is no way Gilthunder would give us up."

They walk in silence for a moment, Escanor following as Merlin swerves a bit to the left. The darkness is creeping in, making it harder to see as they pick their way among the tree roots, and Escanor uses his power to sense any nearby people. They are alone, at least for now, unless whoever is out there is good at hiding themselves. "There are reasons," he offers quietly. "Money. Power. Jealousy. Even families can destroy each other over such things."

"You sound like you know first-hand," Merlin murmurs. Escanor clears his throat, but she continues, "I don't think it was any of those things. Gilthunder was in love with the princess."

"Elizabeth?" he frowns.

Merlin turns again, now leading them southeast. "No. Margaret, the oldest. They had been in love since they were children. He was devastated by her death."

Escanor thinks before replying, "I will have to take your word for it. I've never been in love."

She gives a bit of a snort and he gives her a side glance. "What?"

"It's just you seem the type."

"The type! The type to what?"

"To be in love," laughs Merlin. "You are a hopeless romantic, I'm convinced of it."

Escanor makes a face. "Not hardly. I'm much too practical."

She snorts again. "I don't believe you. You are the type to fall in love with every other girl you meet. Flowers, poetry, carriage rides… I bet you do the entire gamut."

He rolls his eyes. "I would think you'd know me better than that after all this time."

Merlin smiles up at him, and he tries to look at her sternly again, but fails when they both start laughing. They continue on in silence for a few more moments when Escanor asks, "What is the plan now then?"

"I'm not sure honestly," she sighs. "If Gilthunder has turned, then all the knights in the resistance are compromised. We're going to need to figure something else out. Go into hiding for a bit if need be."

"We'll do what we have to," he agrees. "We'll keep Elizabeth safe."

Merlin stops and looks up at him, and he raises his brows as he gazes back. "What is it?"

"Escanor, I…" She holds the orb close to her chest as her hands fidget a bit. "I'm sorry. You were right. I should have been honest from the beginning." Merlin bites her lip before peeking up at him through her long bangs. "I'm glad you came back. Thank you."

Her apology makes his skin warm, so Escanor quickly nods. "As I say, it's in the past. Now we must focus on finding the others."

She smiles, and looks as though she would say something more when the orb suddenly glows with a green light. "Oh no," she hisses, looking at the orb in her hands with alarm, then takes off in a run.

Escanor races behind her until they stop just beyond a clearing. She ducks down, pulling him by his shirt until they are crouched together behind a small rise in the landscape. He sees the tavern straight ahead, planted in the field, all the windows and doors shut up. Surrounding it are at least four or five dozen soldiers, many Holy Knights by the look of their weapons, with Gilthunder seated on a horse as commander. They are quickly moving into formation, looking like a pack of ants with their dark armor, and Escanor's heart sinks when he hears Gilthunder call for those in the tavern to come out.

"Cheese and crackers," Merlin whispers.