A/N: This chapter took longer than I thought, but finally, here it is! I want to thank Redworld96, she made the cover of the chapter in no time and did an awesome job, and she is also an incredible source of information and ideas. And also thank Trig, who beta read this.
Enjoy!

Chapter III: They are not to be trusted

King stared at the missives scattered in front of him, elbows on his knees and head resting on his joined hands. The branch of the tree he had chosen was large enough to him to sit cross-legged, and the morning sun passing through the leaves was pleasant on his skin. It was a relaxing place, and he had thought it would have been suited to make his job a bit simpler. It wasn't working.

He knew what he should have done – read the letters again, start to think about an answer and then talk with Diane about them, so that they could decide what to do. A sigh escaped his lips when he thought about his wife; she should have stayed with him that morning, but then a Giant had come to call her, asking for her help – something about the manipulating of the metals, if he had got it right, and she simply had to go. She had promised to join him soon, and he really hoped she would have since apparently he really couldn't get himself to focus on his task.

He rubbed his temples with a huff, closing his eyes. It was madness. It seemed like he couldn't focus on the words he was reading, his mind constantly losing the thread, filling with thoughts that didn't make sense – and that he shouldn't have had. It was a bit late for a change of mind, after he and Diane had discussed for so long about how to act.

At first, it had been Margaret's idea. After less than a years as the new queen of Liones, that she had spent rebuilding her kingdom and fixing some issues that still dated back to the period when her country was in the hands of a Demon, she had decided that the last thing her people needed was another war. She had started strengthening Liones' alliances with the neighbouring kingdoms and to forging new ones, to gather information about the faraway realms, considering what kind of relationship she could have built with them and if it would have been favourable for her land.

She had explained that herself to King and Diane, a few months before, when they had visited Liones during a festival she had organized to celebrate the end of the rebuilding of the city – and that Meliodas had decided would have been the best occasion ever for a reunion to remember the "good old days". Margaret was convinced that this would have been the best option to avoid future conflicts, and King couldn't really contradict her. Keeping the other kingdoms as allies was surely the right way to deal with them – he was pretty sure that the reason there had not been many wars between humans in the last few years, at least in that part of Britannia, had been the well-built system of relationship Liones had had with many of the nearest realms.

Apparently, Arthur was determined to do the same, as soon as the new kingdom of Camelot had been strong enough – Merlin had suggested him to wait so that he could introduce himself as the powerful king of a rising realm and not of a weak territory tried by the war. When they've talked with her about it, she had said that she wasn't too confident that it would have worked – not for long, at least – but it was worth a shot.

It had been natural that, after, both he and Diane had wanted to discuss the option to, well, to do something similar. It had been centuries since the Fairy Realm had formed new alliances with humans kingdoms, and the Giants had never really done that, and maybe, after such a long time of isolation, it would have been the right occasion to open to the world and improve their relationship with the humans. Or, at least, to make clear that the Fairy and the Giant Clan didn't intend to be a menace for anyone – unless for their enemies. At the end, they had decided to try, and for a few months by now they had sent some messengers to other Kingdoms – they had quickly agreed that the best choice was to send Fairies, who could fly and disguise themselves if necessary, and besides, Giants still had a certain reputation among humans that surely wouldn't have helped.

The results, until then, weren't bad. Of course, some kingdoms were more open than others, and there was still some wariness towards them. There were realms that had never seen a Fairy, and humans that still considered the Giants as strong fighting machines to hire in case of need. But the largest part of the sovereigns they had contacted had seemed open at the prospect of a friendly relationship.

So, why was it suddenly so difficult to remember the reasons they were doing it? King shook his head. It was useless at best. Their Clans together – they were enough. They didn't need other allies. They didn't need others, they were only exposing themselves –

He let out a groan and rubbed his temples. What was he thinking? Of course, it was the best option to correspond with other sovereigns! Having a good relationship with them could have been helpful – and besides, he didn't want the Fairy Clan to isolate itself again, as it had done for so many centuries after his disappearance. No good had resulted from it.

It had to be the tiredness, it was the only logical explanation. He had started to perceive it for at least a week by now, an annoying sense of mental exhaustion that made him feel like his head was too heavy and his thoughts too vague. Luckily it hadn't been a problem, he had been able to use his magic as usual – except for the sensation of heaviness that hit him immediately after, but he had managed to handle it without much effort. It was getting draining though.

King forced himself to take one of the letters in his hands, but his eyes simply slid over the words without reading not even one. He pressed his lips together, shaking his head, and lowered the letter again sighing in frustration. Why couldn't he focus on that simple task? And – and why should have he bothered with that? It would have been useless, no matter what that human kingdom was offering and promising. He must not trust them, he thought, none of them. Humans were not to be trusted.

They hunt us and cut our flesh with iron and steel.

King blinked and abruptly straightening his head, raising his eyebrows. He had no idea where those thoughts had come from, nor why he should have had them – as it seemed to happen way too often in the last few days. He breathed in slowly to calm himself and closed his eyes, trying to understand how something like that had come to his mind. He knew humans. He had spent years between them, as a soldier, a companion, a friend. They could be trusted. He knew they could, like he knew that it had been centuries since the last time a human had hunted and killed a Fairy – Helbram's face is covered in blood when the knight lifts him up, the screams of the other Fairies fill the air and when he finally arrives, their bodies lay on the ground, their eyes glassy and their wings ripped from their backs –

He gasped for air, his eyes snapping open. It had been a long time since those memories had hit him so strongly and painfully, almost overwhelming him for a moment. He could clearly see the bodies of his friends, smell the metallic scent of the blood that still tickled from their back and feel the horror and the rage that had filled him when he had realized that he was too late to save them, that he had failed protecting them.

But that, he thought, swallowing, still trying to breathe, that had been only a few humans' fault. They weren't all like that. Ban, Escanor, the Holy Knights that had fought with him during the war … they weren't like that. He was sure about it. He inhaled, then let out a long sigh, passing a hand on his face. He was just tired, that was all. It had to be all. He just needed a moment to compose himself, and then, he will have been fine.

"Your Highness?"

He flinched and abruptly raised his head, glancing at Gerheade, who was floating a few feet from him, her head tilted as she looked at him with furrowed brows. King hadn't heard her approaching him – he hadn't felt her, not even her presence or the soft whisper of her thoughts. This hadn't happened often since he had unlocked his true power – it shouldn't have happened. He should have been more careful.

"Gerheade," he said as he turned to face her, sliding a hand over his face to chase off the tiredness. He frowned; there was something he wanted to ask her, now that he thought about it – but at that moment, it seemed impossible to remember what. He hardly held another sigh – what was with his mind recently? But probably, if he couldn't recall it, it wasn't that important. He would have asked her later. "What's the matter? Do you need me?"

She took a moment to answer, her lips pressed together and her face paler than usual. When he tried to meet her eyes, she slightly lowered them, her purple iris overshadowed by concern and agitation – but about what? Finally, she straightened her spine, clasping her hands behind her back and breathed in. "One of the other messengers returned," she said. "Aed, do you remember?"

King nodded, the round, almost childlike face of the Fairy coming into his mind; he remembered him clearly, a young Fairy – he wasn't even five centuries old – who offered to leave the Forest for the first time in his life to travel to one of the little Kingdoms in the West Coast. He had left not even a four day ago, and it should have been a good thing that he had already returned. Gerheade expression suggested the contrary, though. "What happened?"

"It didn't go well, your Highness," his counselor whispered, finally raising her head to look at him in the eyes. "He has been attacked."

His hand let the letters fall on the wood and in less than a moment he was floating in front of Gerheade, his heart pounding – not again, not again. "Where is he?"

Gerheade led him towards the ground and through the trees without another word. It didn't take long to reach a small group of Fairies, which was swarming around a tree base. At first, their bodies and wings hid from King the sight of the messenger, but as often happened, they soon noticed his presence. He nodded to them when they parted, their chatter ending, and exchanged a look with Ende, who was floating right under the tree. Her eyes shined with worry as she hanged her head before her gaze returned to the Fairy who was sitting on a root a few steps from her. When King's eyes finally landed on Aed, a cold chill ran through his spine.

He had seen worse. He had seen the scattered bodies of his friends after their wings were ripped away from them. He had seen the devastation that the Demons left behind them during the war, the fury of the Induras, the shattered remains of villages and cities. This wasn't even bad. But they weren't in a war anymore.

And so, while his eyes wandered over the thin legs of the Fairy, red for the blood that kept spilling from the long wounds – even though a healer was kneeling next to him, washing and treating them – and white, white for the bones emerging from the flesh, King felt cold. And more of that, he felt rage building in his chest when his gaze discovered new bleeding cuts on the Fairy's arms, the unusual pallor of his face and the lost, horrified look in his eyes.

Aed didn't see him apparently, his gaze pointed to the ground, and he didn't raise his head when King got closer to him, until he was right in front of him. Now he could distinguish the blood stains from the copper of his thin hair and the spatters that had reached his wings, that were stiff behind him. At least, he still had them.

King's feet touched the ground. He wanted to speak, but the words were blocked in his throat; he had to breathe, holding off the rage – why it was being so difficult? – before he could finally call the Fairy's name.

Aed slowly raised his head and met his eyes. His gaze remained unfocused for a moment, then he seemed to finally realize what was happening. He gulped, and immediately tried to stand, ignoring the cry of surprise of the healer. His legs didn't support him, though, and he fell back down again, a choked whine escaping his lips. He gasped for air, then he finally breathed out, "Fairy king," joining his hands in front of him and lowering his gaze.

"Aed," King repeated, quietly. He would have wanted him to raise his head again, but the Fairy was sitting rigidly on the root now, not moving an inch. King pursed his lips, then waved to the healer, who immediately raised and took a step back. Another wave, and the green light of Pollen Garden surrounded Aed's body. The young Fairy jumped, but his low yell of surprise soon transformed in a sigh of relief when the bleeding stopped and new flesh formed, closing his wounds.

It was quick, the power of his magic perfectly able to heal the injured body of his messenger. And yet, when he dismissed Chastiefol, King had to stop a second, his breath short. He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. This shouldn't have tired him, he didn't use even a drop of his magic, but that damn weariness made everything more difficult.

When he opened his eyes, Aed was looking at him, hands still clasped. "My king," he said, hurrying, "I – thank you, Fairy king, but I – I apologize, I failed." He breathed in and moved his lips, but he didn't produce any sounds, and at the end, he simply shook his head. "I failed," he repeated, his voice reduced to a whisper.

King exhaled, the muffled sound of his pounding heart in his ears. "You did nothing wrong," he asserted, "what happened?"

Aed took a moment to answer. When he did, his voice was no more than a whisper, small and tentative, as he still had to find the words to explain what had reduced him like that. "They had never seen a Fairy," he begun, wringing his hands and lowering his gaze to the ground. "I knew it was possible, so I disguised as a human – I did it right, I'm sure about it. But when I said I had a message for their king and they had started asking questions, I just – I didn't – ", he gulped, and bit his lip, taking a moment before keeping talking. "I didn't want to lie. They didn't believe me, when I told them I was a Fairy, and so I thought … but when they saw my magic – and my wings, they got scared. And I wasn't fast enough."

He fell silent and remained still for a moment, before abruptly looking at King again, his eyes wide and full of fear and shame. "I didn't consign the letter, it – I think it went lost somewhere when I escaped. I disappointed you trust, my king, I'm sorry, but I can't – I can't return there."

The way his voice trembled while he spoke the last words was like a stinging pain in King's chest. Obviously, he wouldn't have sent Aed back there – who would have? He had been so foolish when he had decided to send those messengers, mindlessly hoping that things like this wouldn't have happened. They were talking about humans, after all, the same who had attacked the Forest for centuries chasing the eternal life, no matter what the price would have been. He had passed too much time with the best of them, at the point that he seemed to have forgotten how cruel they could be. How had it occurred to him to send his own people, his Fairies, to deal with those fearful, selfish beings – how it had come to his mind that his kingdom should have benefited from that? Humans only saw themselves, only cared about themselves, they –

"Harlequin!"

The feeling of Gerheade's hand on his shoulder made him flinch – how she had been able to take him by surprise like that once again? He glanced at her, raising a brow, and he was surprised to see the worry in her eyes; when he rapidly looked around, he realized that all the Fairies were silently staring at him, their eyes round and big, their concern almost tangible in the air. And when finally his eyes returned to Aed, the young man was still, spine stiff and shoulder tense, his face even paler than before and his pupils dilated, almost painting of black the dark brown of his eyes.

King furrowed his brows, trying to understand what had happened, and before realising what he was doing he released his power; immediately the Forest was full of whispers and emotions, all the thoughts and the feelings of its inhabitant now allowed to reach his mind. He ignored the others, though, and focused on Aed – why he looked so upset and scared, he was safe now, far from the ones who had hurt him.

The realization hit him like a punch. Aed wasn't afraid of humans – well, he was, deeply, but not in that moment. He was afraid of his king. His scattered thoughts were all about the way he had disappointed him, and about how he was about to be punished for that. His king was looking at him with so much rage and coldness and they all knew how powerful he was and –

King closed his mind again, a nauseous feeling blocking his throat. He hadn't realized his silence had been so long, nor that he had looked at Aed like that – and the Fairy had of course perceived his fury. He just didn't understand. The Fairy King took a deep breath and forced his body to relax – he hadn't realized he had clenched his fists so tight that the nails had dug cuts in his skin until he finally released his fingers. Then, he kneeled in front of the Fairy, so that their faces were at the same level. Aed's brows rose and he let out a sound of surprise, his arms shileding his chest.

"Aed, you did nothing wrong," King began, trying to make him understand that he meant it. "It wasn't your fault if they attacked you. You just did what you thought was right. The responsibility of what happened rests with me, I didn't instruct you enough. I apologize for that."

Aed stared at him with wide eyes, his mouth opened in surprise. "But Fairy king, you shouldn't – it was stupid from me to transform in front of them, I didn't think – "

"You didn't know," King interrupted him, shaking his head. "You expected them to be like our allies, you couldn't know they would have reacted like that. I should have. I'm sorry."

The other Fairy gasped, his cheeks flushing red, then he finally seemed to relax and let out a breath. "You did nothing wrong, my king," he muttered, looking away, but King could almost feel his relief. "I will be more careful the next time."

"There won't be a next time." King raised and placed his hand on Aed's shoulder, squeezing it softly; he wanted so badly to make him understand that he meant it, that he didn't blame him for whatever had happened – and above all that he would have never asked him to go back out there. "You will stay here and recover for as long as you need to. Actually," his gaze moved to the other Fairies, who were still gathering around them, "we will wait for the other messengers to return, but no one will leave anymore for the humans' lands until I say otherwise. Tell the others."

It was a relief to see that they didn't look scared anymore but mostly reassured, even though King could see still a shade of uneasiness in their curious gazes. He wished he hadn't lost control like that in front of them – the idea that they could have been afraid of him made him unease, like having a burden on his chest. It shouldn't have happened. And yet, the rage had been sudden and crushing as never before, he could still feel it coursing through his veins. It wasn't normal for him, he had to understand what had happened to him.

He gazed to Aed and squeezed his shoulder one last time, the young Fairy shyly smiling back, then nodded to the others. Some of them bowed their heads again, but Ende gave him a concerned look, as she knew that there was something wrong. He shrugged, trying to reassure her and make her understand that he was fine – he just needed some time to think.

He turned to meet Gerheade's eyes, and leaned towards her to murmur, "We will talk later."

She nodded, but when he finally spread his wings and took flight he could sense her burning gaze on his back. It was obvious that she was worried too, her disquietude had been almost tangible.

King sighed, rapidly getting away from her and the rest of the group, the fresh air caressing his face and giving him some comfort. Later, he should have reassured her that he was fine, really, he was just tired – it had to be that. But later. Now, he needed a moment to collect his thoughts. He needed Diane.

It had been a long time since Diane had seen him so distraught. Harlequin kept flying in circles in front of her, furiously flapping his wings and apparently unable to keep his hands still – they were everywhere, through his hair, on his suit, or simply waving in the air. He didn't seem able to properly look at her, either, but the few times she had managed to meet his wide-open eyes, she had felt a twist in her stomach – they were sad and shocked and guilty. She didn't want him to look – to feel like that.

He had appeared in front of her only a few minutes ago, suddenly emerging from the trees next to her; she had been so happy to see him, after all she was looking for him – her duties fulfilled and finally free to join him – but the moment her eyes had laid on his pale features, she had known that something was wrong. She had realised it was something serious when he had nearly pleaded her to follow him in a more private spot between the trunks – as if asking wouldn't have been enough, even before he finally let go and told her what had happened, his voice low and almost brittle.

"I shouldn't have let him go," he murmured again; it wasn't the first time that he said it using different words, but he seemed unable to stop repeating the same concept, as if saying it out loud would have changed the past. "He is too young, he hadn't been taught to act cautiously with them like I was. I shouldn't have sent him out there."

"Harlequin," Diane whispered softly reaching for him with her hand, but he escaped her grip and turned his back to her, shaking his head.

"What kind of king I am, if I can't protect them? If I am the one who sent them to die?" His low and broken voice made her heart ache, and this time, she moved faster. She reached for him with both her hands and wrapped his shoulders with her fingers, and even though she felt his back stiffening, she didn't let him go, gently tracing the line of his arms. All she wanted was him to feel her, to understand that it didn't matter what had happened, she was by his side, as always.

"Harlequin," she repeated softly, "it wasn't your fault. Aed wanted to go, and you couldn't have known that – "

"I should have," he said.

There was anger in his voice, but Diane was aware that it wasn't addressed to anyone except himself – and those humans who had attached his legate, but that rage, she knew, would have soon turned in mistrust and caution. The only thing left would have been the hate for himself, for not having prevented something he could have done nothing to stop. She knew him. And she was determined not to make him fall into that spiral of self-blame and regret.

"You know you couldn't," she affirmed, "until now, no one had never reacted like that, and there was no reason to think someone would have. What you – what we are doing is incredible, we are building a future no one would have ever imagined and we are doing our best. What happened there, it wasn't your fault, it was an accident! There was nothing we could do to foresee it."

He didn't answer, but he didn't move away. Finally, his hand reached for her thumb, caressing it slowly, tracing the paths of its ridges. When he finally turned towards her, his eyes were empty and sad as he whispered, "He could have died, and I would have been the one to cause that."

"No," she moved him closer, stroking his hair and his cheeks, "he knew there could have been risks, and he took them not because you ordered him to do it but because he wanted to. You are his king, and I know you feel responsible for him, but you can't protect your people from the danger they chose to face – not always."

He was again silent, his eyes blank and fixed on something between her chin and her shoulder, his hand still on her skin. She bit her lip, worried that she had not convinced him – he could be so stubborn! But then he let out a sigh and finally his shoulders relaxed under her touch. "I know," he said, "but I still wish I could protect them."

Diane couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. He still wasn't fine, she would have to stay close to him, but at least he seemed to have understood. "Of course you do, because you care. Because you are a good king."

His eyes softened and finally, the corner of his mouth turned up in a little smile. "I want to be," he murmured, before placing a kiss upon her fingertip. "Diane … thank you. To be with me, by my side, no matter what." He added, looking at her with that loving gaze that he had always had for her, even when she had been too blind to notice.

Diane felt her skin warming and beamed at him, affectionately stroking the tips of his wings – she held back a giggle when he half-closed his eyes, enjoying her touch. "You know that I'll always be with you. And don't forget it that you are not doing this alone. Whatever mistake you think you made – we made it together, and we will fix it together."

He sighed and nodded, but he didn't seem totally convinced. Before she could say something else, though, he straightened his spine, his expression suddenly serious. "About that, Diane … do you think we are doing the right thing?"

Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"With the other realms," he answered, slowly, crossing his arms across his chest. "Sending our messengers to them, without even knowing how they could react to – to us. Aed was lucky, but what if the next one wasn't?"

Diane nodded. Of course, he didn't want to risk again the life of their people, and she didn't want as well. "You are right, we will have to be more careful. Maybe it would be a good idea to slow down for a while and recall all the ones who are still outside. We could ask Margaret to intercede for us with the kingdoms we didn't reach – last time we saw her, she wasn't having any problems."

"That's because they are all humans," King snorted, shaking his head. "They are part of the same kind, they recognise each other. But they will always see us like others, they will never completely trust us."

That took her by surprise. They had talked about that subject, more than once, and never Harlequin had spoken like that. They both knew that sometimes humans could have been scared by their Clans or aggressive towards them – years of fear and grudge couldn't be erased just like that, from either of the two parties. Yet, there had been hope, from both of them – they had agreed to do that, for the Goddesses! "That's exactly the reason we have to do that," she said, "to show them that they can trust us, that they don't have to be afraid."

"But why? We don't need them, and even if they'll trust us, we could never trust them back!" He ran a hand through his hair; his eyes weren't on her anymore, but fixed on something distant, something that only he could see. "Humans – they are not trustworthy."

"That's – that's not true!" Putting a hand on the ground, she leaned toward him, trying to meet his gaze – she wanted him to look at her in the eyes. He couldn't possibly be serious, not after all they had passed. "We know humans, most of our friends are! They fought with us and helped us and saved us. We can trust them!"

"It's not the same thing! They … they are different." His eyes closed, his head shaking again. "I know they are different," he repeated, and this time it was almost like he was talking to himself, his voice low and hesitant as he couldn't fully believe in what he was saying, as much as he wanted to. Then his eyes snapped open again and they were on her, but again, she wasn't sure he was actually seeing her - his blank gaze seemed to pass through her. "Humans are not all like them, you know that – you know that more than many others. They killed my people and your people and they will never stop!"

"Harlequin!" She shot, coming even closer to him so that she could face him properly – he was still floating in mid-air, his body stiffen and his arms crossed once again. He had never been able to make her angry, not easily at least; it had happened, of course it had, they were together for more than two years by now, they already had fights. But this was the first time she couldn't even understand his reasons – why he was so suddenly saying those things when she knew that his opinion about humans had changed since the first time she had met him. At that time, he had been wary – "You shouldn't trust humans too much," he had told her once – but then, he had seen them, he had understood that they weren't all like the ones who had attacked his Forest for centuries – like the ones who had killed his friends. He knew that.

"How … how can you say something like that?" The words came out shattered, her voice almost cracking – she was getting furious but more than that, she was confused, and the need to understand why he was acting like that was stronger and more pressing than the will to properly yell at him.

"Because they – " Harlequin paused, his hands still for a moment and his gaze fixed on the ground. "I …", he blinked, shaking his head, and his eyes widened as he looked up at her. Every trace of rage was disappeared from his eyes, replaced by astonishment and worry. "You are right," he slowly said, "I can't say that … I didn't mean …" His hand rapidly covered his mouth and he looked away, his brows furrowed. "What was I thinking?"

"What – " Diane stared at him, raising her eyebrows. The change in his behaviour had been so sudden, that for a second she didn't know what to say, her wide eyes fixed on him.

Then, he took a deep breath and looked up, his eyes meeting hers, and they were finally clear – he was finally seeing her. "I'm sorry," he whispered in a soft, sincere voice, "I'm sorry for what I said, I don't think that – you know I don't." He fell silent, pressing his lips in a hard line. "I don't know what came over me."

Her rage faded like snow melting under the sun, replaced by a tightness in her chest, worry occluding her throat. She bit her lip as she studied his face, finally noticing for real the paleness of his face and the dark circles under his eyes – there was something wrong, she realised, it was the only explanation. "Harlequin, are you all right?" She cautiously reached for him again with her hands, wrapping his figure with her fingers.

"I … yes," he answered and barely nodded, his body relaxing in her grip " it's just – I'm tired. And I think that seeing Aed like that shocked me more than I've thought." He heaved a sigh before murmuring, "I only wish I could have kept him from all this pain."

He was telling the truth – the look in his eyes, the sound of his voice, everything told her that he was being honest – and yet, Diane wasn't convinced that it was just that. What he had said – could it be only because of his tiredness? It didn't seem right. But there wasn't another explanation, so she breathed out and pulled him towards her, holding him gently. "You should rest," she said, "you really look tired."

"Later," he asserted, shaking his head. "Now we should think about those missives that had arrived – I, hum, haven't been working very hard on them," he added, nervously running a hand through his hair.

Her eyes narrowed as she lifted him to look good at his face. "If you are so tired, you shouldn't force yourself like that, I can work on that while – "

"I can take it," he interrupted her, "I want to help you with that!" His determined eyes softened as he smiled, tilting his head. "We are doing this together, you said so."

Diane couldn't help but smile back, feeling some of the tension that had built inside her until that moment finally leaving her. "Okay, then, let's do this together. But later, you will rest, it's that clear?"

"Of course," he nodded, finally a spark of amusing in his eyes, "I promise."