Author's Note: I said in previous chapters, I was going to finish it by chapter 10 but as I was writing this chapter it started to get super long, so I decided to split this chapter in 2 so final chapter will be chapter 11 for sure! hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Seven Deadly Sins [七つの大罪 Nanatsu no Taizai] nor its characters which are works and story are made by Nakaba Suzuki
Always and Forever
Ch. 10 A Promise
"Too late to back now Mr. Fairy "King" just learn to be a graceful loser once I am done with you and don't worry I'll treat your queen nicely. I'd say I would be a better fit for her" Said the purple haired fairy in a sarcastic matter
"Oh?... I didn't know you were in to giantesses" Tusk said in a teasing manner as he raised an eyebrow, with a hint tone of jealousy.
"Well they could probably be better than giants, at least she might actually care how I feel for once, unlike someone I know..." Said Fiore with sharpness in his words
Tusk oblivious of the true intention of those words, he simply huffed and laughed "Whatever you say, Fiori... Get moving already!"
"Always so damn rude, you're lucky you are handsome, you brute..." Said Fiori annoyed as he headed towards the battle platform.
Diane was still very weak despite of Harlequin's pollen garden healing. but she somehow managed to gather enough strength to kiss her ring to decrease her size.
She then continued to run towards Harlequin and gave him a big hug.
Harlequin became startled by Diane's sudden hug.
"Diane you need to rest... You shouldn't be running" Said the redheaded fairy worryingly.
She smiled "I just wanted to hug you and wish you the best of luck, of course you wont need it" She winked "But...I just want you to know that no matter what happens we will get through this together" she pressed her lips against his entering in a passionate kiss.
Fiore clearly annoyed by this sudden gesture of affection "AHEM! HELLO?! WE HAVE A BATTLE TO FINISH! YOU EITHER GO BACK OR GET A DAMN ROOM!"
Diane embarrassed and blushing "RIGHT! Sorry... You can do it Harlequin!" she said as she went back to her place to watch the match unfold.
Fiore said "If I can't have a love like yours... I might as well give it my all in this fight, at least I can take that away from you two"
The redhead fairy smiled smugly "Let's see you try!"
Just as Harlequin was about to summon his Chastiefol, the purple haired fairy snapped his fingers
"No no... no weapons this time your majesty! we will fight using our fairy magic only. No fancy weapons nor their configurations I will also not use Minerva"
He then summoned his weapon, Minerva, a powerful whip with thorns made of a vine that came from the great fairy sacred tree.
Harlequin shocked by looking at the weapon "Wait! Why do you have Minerva? that use to belong to Fairy King Dahlia!"
Fiori laughed at Harlequin "Oh you really don't know? You really haven't noticed? hmph! So much for being the all knowing fairy king!" He proceeded to show Harlequin a brand on his neck
"Does this look familiar?" said the purple hair fairy smugly
Harlequin surprised by the brand on Fiore's neck he said "No way... Don't tell me you're..."
"That's right... I guess there's no need to continue with this silly disguise" Said Fiore with a satisfied look on his face.
The purple hair fairy started emitting a golden aura that covered him from head to toe, transforming him. His hair started to change from purple to gold while while getting longer, his pink eyes changed to a honey like color. His appearance became a bit less feminine than how he presented himself previously
"You're... Aesculus... King Dahlia's younger brother" Harlequin said in shock and disbelief.
"Impressive, is it not?" Aesculus said with a smile on his face "How do you like my new look? fits me better doesn't it?" he winked
"I heard that you died during the great war..." Said Harlequin still with disbelief.
"Oh really? funny how life works, huh? Well it's simple really..." the golden haired fairy smiled and then continued "The thing is that... I never died... I faked my death and simply disappeared"
Noticing that Harlequin was still in shock by this new information the golden hair fairy giggled "I bet you must be wondering why I have Minerva, aren't ya? Well if you must know... She came to me and that's when I knew my brother had passed away. You see... Funny thing about Minerva, she is a marvelous weapon... Once her owner perishes she goes to the next heir in line, despite of me being not interested in becoming the next fairy king, she still came to me and I simply took her. We have been together through all millennia" Aesculus noticed the redhead fairy's shock and laughed
"Come on... Don't give me that look! I really wasn't interested in taking care of the fairy kingdom and to be honest I am still not interested but-"
Tusk right away noticed that Aesculus was going to say something he wasn't supposed to, he proceeded to interrupt him "ARE YA FUCKING DONE WITH YOUR MAGIC SHOW? COME ON I WANT TO SEE A FIGHT!"
Aesculus simply turned his vision towards Tusk and smiled "Right... No spoilers! Enough chit chat let's get started" He snapped his fingers and sent both Minerva to Tusk and Chastiefol to Diane.
"We won't be needing these" he smiled "Let's get started your majesty"
Aesculus started by emitting pollen in the field and said the following "Dream pollen!"
which king right away blew away with a gust of wind "whirlwind!"
The blonde fairy laughed "HAH! You fell right in to my trap! Idiot!" the pollen stared to activate some kind of spell, which started to invade Harlequin's body
"What is going on?" Said the redheaded fairy with a confused look in his eyes.
"Oh your majesty, dream pollen activates at the smallest amount of wind thrown at it, so while you were thinking that you were blowing it away, you simply helped activate its effects, don't worry you will fall asleep. I promise I'll be gentle" he winked
Harlequin started to feel the effects of the pollen "My body is feeling heavy" he collapses on the floor
"I guess now the real show begins" He then proceeds to summon a Venus fly trap looking plant "I summon thee! DREAM EATER! Feast yourself upon this, he is royalty you know! Go ahead eat your fill"
The plant started absorbing an aura that is coming out of Harlequin
Diane distressed was about to throw Chastiefol but the weapon became heavy "What is going on?"
Tusk looked at Diane "Both Chastiefol and Minerva wont move until either one wins, Fairy clan weapons are loyal to it's owners but their owners must prove their worth of wielding them, I guess now that Aesculus is challenging Harlequin, Chastiefol is questioning Harlequin thus becoming immovable until he is able to prove himself as it's true wielder"
He then continued
"From the looks of it looks like your lover wont be able to wield his weapon anymore, once he is trapped in Aesculus dream eater, his fate is sealed"
"He wont lose! we made a promise...He has to win...He has to.." Said Diane with a worried look on her face
Tusk huffed and continued watching the fight
"My sweet dream eater will eat all his dreams till there is nothing left but despair, I think it might be doing a bit of an overkill?" Aesculus giggled as he saw the plant devour Harlequin's dreams, he then pointed towards Diane "Won't you rescue him? all you have to do is give up on his stead and I shall win the match, or are you that selfish that you rather watch him die?" he said in a malicious and mocking tone
"I guess his sweet Diane isn't so sweet after all! Either way I am going to win, and beating you will be a piece of cake... I am much more powerful than Tusk over there so don't you go underestimating me "sweet Diane"! Oh, but don't worry I won't use dream eater on you, your dreams might be too sweet and you might make my plant sick!" He continued laughing as he mocked Diane
Diane just sat there helpless "If I tell him to stop, I will save king but Chastiefol will no longer see him as worthy to wield it but if I do nothing he is going to die..." tears started forming in her eyes
"Once again...I am not able to save him" she then noticed the ring that merlin gave her was shining, she noticed what is going on, the ring started sending a message via telepathy
("Diane! please help me, I am trapped... Give me a sign help me get back")
She answered the message internally ("Harlequin? is that you my love? I am here listen to my voice, tell me what do I need to do?")
the voice replied ("Remind me why I am doing this...")
She started crying ("It's simple silly, we made a promise to each other and to everyone, you must continue to fight, even if you run out of dreams...Even if your dreams fade, I can share mine with you, you're part of me as I am part of you... I won't let you fall")
She started emitting a purple aura, as this aura started shining the plant started to become bloated
"What the hell is going on?" he then noticed Diane and became furious "YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU'RE THE ONE DOING THIS?!"
Harlequin opened his eyes and started to get up "No... I am, she was just my guiding light and my reminder of why am I doing this, my dreams are hers and hers are mine"
Surprised Aesculus said "IMPOSSIBLE! HOW?!"
Harlequin smiled "As silly and as simple as it may sound but that is the power of love, even if I lose Chastiefol and all my powers... As long as Diane is with me I will always find my way back" He then used his ability disaster to attack Aesculus
The blonde fairy started laughing manically and then said silently "is that so? In that case..."
He ordered his plant to grab Diane, just as the plant was about to grab her Tusk impeded the attack "HEY! Don't forget our mission...Focus on your battle"
He saw Tusk with disgust and anger "You're no fun... But no matter I will destroy you as well once I am done with these rats" he told Tusk as he smiled manically
He then pointed his vision towards Harlequin "Fine, I don't need your stupid giantess girlfriend to kick your ass, once you're dead I will kill her too! THAT WAY YOU WILL BOTH BE TOGETHER! AREN'T I THE MOST BENEVOLENT?" his laughter got more sinister as these words left his mouth.
He then started to summon razor sharp leaves and threw them towards harlequins direction, he became berserk his moves were no longer strategic
"I WILL KILL YOU! IF I CAN'T HAVE A LOVE LIKE YOURS I WILL DESTROY YOU! ONCE I AM DONE WITH YOU I WILL END HER AS WELL!"
He then became silent and whispered "I will also destroy your kingdom so there will be nobody to miss you both, isn't that such a grand idea?!"
He started laughing manically once again and then proceeded to summon many poisonous thorns
"DIE DIE DIE!" he said as he kept laughing
"YOU THINK I WANT TO BE KING OF YOUR STUPID FOREST?"
he told Harlequin as he kept attacking
"YOU THINK I GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ALL THOSE STUPID FAIRIES?"
Harlequin kept avoiding all attacks that the golden hair fairy was throwing, he then put a hand in the air and said
"DELICATE SWARM" a bunch of pink rose petals started surrounding Aesculus, the golden fairy started screaming.
Harlequin then proceeded to levitate himself at a fast pace, many clones started appearing beside him "GENTLE DANCING FAIRIES!" a bunch of Harlequin clones started appearing in the sky. He then proceeds to fall head first along with his clones, creating an explosion as they landed. They started punching Aesculus to a pulp leaving the fairy immovable on the ground
"I can't believe this...I lost? me... The great Aesculus?! NO!" he started to get up he pointed his vision where Minerva was and summoned her, she right away responded to her master's calling.
"TO HELL WITH THE RULES! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!"
Just as Chastiefol was about to aid Harlequin he told his weapon to halt
"Don't worry I got this!" the weapon went back to the ground where Diane was
Harlequin then focused on Aesculus "You can't even follow your own rules, no matter... I will finish this once and for all"
"Let's see you try "MR. FAIRY KING!" LET'S SEE YOU TRY!" Said the golden fairy with a psychotic look on his eyes
But as he was about to attack, Minerva started to tangle herself around him and he also felt someone hold him
"ENOUGH!" Said Tusk as he held Aesculus tight
"what the hell are you doing!?" said the golden hair fairy silently
He then proceeded to scream "LET GO OF ME YOU BRUTE AND YOU TOO MINERVA?! YOU DARE TO BETRAY YOUR MASTER?!"
"Aesculus enough! we already completed our mission" Said Tusk with a worried look on his face
"This isn't about that anymore, why do they get to be happy...why cant we-" the golden hair fairy said as tears started to form
Tusk flips Aesculus to face him and gives him a passionate kiss as he stops he says
"You think I didn't notice your erratic behavior?" Said Tusk with tears in his eyes.
He then continued as he held Aesculus tight "I know why you're being like this... I am sorry, this is my fault for dragging you in every stupid idea of mine, you blindly follow me. But the truth is... That I love you I just suck at showing it." he then gave him a peck he then continued "Yes you're right I am such a brute, I am rude at times and I never appreciate any of your sweet gestures. I never cherish you or love you the way you should be loved... I am a terrible lover and I apologize for that and..."
He proceeded to get on his knees "I want to make a promise, with our king and queen as witnesses... Will you marry me Aesculus? I promise to be a better man for you, I promise I will try my best to change my ways, I promise to keep you safe and protect you just like you protected me 1000 years ago, remember..."
The golden hair fairy started crying "You really are a dumbass... But I accept your promise and I accept to marry you, of course I do... This is what I've always wanted. I guess I let my emotions get the better of me and cloud all rational thoughts. I love you Tusk, thank you for always staying with me... Despite my insanity"
With his abilities, Tusk then proceeded to create a ring out of a stone he found on the ground. He then put the ring on Aesculus ring finger, he smiled and gave him a small kiss, he then smiles and says.
"Come on let's go already, we completed our mission just like Drole and Gloxinia asked us"
Harlequin interrupted the two "What did you say?"
Aesculus smiled with his sanity back in place "That's right... Our past kings asked us for a favor. We went to The Necropolis to ask for their guidance, but instead we were assigned a mission and you two passed with flying colors. But, I let my jealousy get the best of me, you see... My powers come from my feelings, unlike other fairies... I tend to feel things in a much more intense manner, whether it's jealousy, anger love etc. I can't control myself and I tend to lose control, You see the ones that keep me grounded are both Tusk and my dear Minerva, without them I would have probably ascended in to madness. Anyways we taken too much of your time already"
He then snaps his fingers and teleports them back to the plaza where all the fairies and giants were still waiting and still clueless at what was going on. The golden fairy then proceeds to get in the center of the plaza where the stage is.
"Everyone! These are your new king and queen; Diane and Harlequin! You are to respect them and honor them, they are two honest people and they will not lead our kingdom wrong, I Aesculus..."
Tusk then joins the golden hair fairy "And I Tusk..."
They both said in unison "We will protect and serve under Queen Diane and King Harlequin! Should anyone try and defy them, they will have to go through us!"
Both Matrona and Gerheade joined the stage "Don't forget about us! Please everyone bow down to your new king and queen"
Everyone started bowing, Diane and King in shy manner entered the stage "Okay everyone that's enough! thank you all, we promise we will do our best to make this kingdom prosperous!" Diane smiled and continued "But enough of all the formalities, lets celebrate!"
Everyone started cheering.
The party had started, everyone was dancing and having the time of their life.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! thank you for the views and taking your time looking at this story! For sure chapter 11 will be the last chapter, okay till next time! Cheers!