CAPITOLO 3 – DAY 3

Thanks so so so much for every favorite, follow, and comment! And also to everyone that's reading my stories! You're making me really happy! 3

I hope you'll like this chapter too! ^^

Warnings and the likes are the same as the others chapters!

The morning after, Escanor found himself wide awake earlier than usual, he didn't know why but he felt full of energy and ready to start the day, he tried to turn over and sleep a little more but he really couldn't.

He wanted to see Merlin as soon as possible, and that thought made him blush and grin like an idiot, so he stood up, washed, dressed, put on his glasses, and went downstairs.

Not surprisingly he wasn't the first down there, and was happy and flustered to see Merlin on the other side of the bar, she seemed to be preparing something, as well as Diane and Ban, sitting at a table, the Fox Sin was visibly tipsy, a bottle in his hand, while the giantess was eating breakfast.

"Good morning"

He greeted everyone, almost startling Merlin, she was really concentrated on her task and hadn't seen him.

"Oh! You are up early, Master"

She was surprised, she knew he wasn't an early riser, and then almost pouted at him.

"I was preparing breakfast, I wanted to come wake you up like yesterday"

He could hear the chuckle coming from the occupied table, and the following shushing, making him blush.

"Ah… I-I am sorry… uhm…"

He wasn't really sure how to continue.

"...we could have b-breakfast here...uhm… we can eat some of what we baked y-yesterday…"

At his suggestion her pout transformed in a wide smile.

"That would be lovely. Please, take a seat and I will join you shortly with our breakfast"

She blocked his intention to help her immediately.

"I will do it, I am your servant after all"

She said it matter of factly, winking at him, making him blush even more, he could only do as she said, and went to join the other two Sins at the table.

That wasn't a wise decision.

"You really are enjoying yourself, uh!"

Ban whistled and smirked at him, having heard their conversation.

"W-well... uhm… I am happy to be spending some t-time with Merlin"

At that moment the Mage arrived with food and drinks, and he could see her fully, and appreciate the clothes that he had choose for her today: she had a simple white shirt on, with short sleeves that covered only her shoulders and a neckline with some strings that showed little cleavage but hugged her breasts really well, a blue gilet that stayed open on her, a short flounce skirt, also blue, that stopped well above her knees, and a pair of brown ankle boots.

She was a really magnificent vision!

"I am happy too, the things we do are quite interesting and enjoyable"

She sat down near him and smiled softly his way.

Diane was watching them with almost heart-shaped eyes, but Ban cackled at their words.

"I have no doubt you two are enjoying yourself!"

The giantess tried to shush him, reprimanding him. Escanor was blushing and Merlin was looking at the other Sin annoyed.

"Yes we are enjoying ourselves"

The Mage said it in a warning tone, daring the Immortal to say something more.

"W-we just had a walk, c-chatted, studied, and f-filled some pastries"

The Lion was trying to help, but instead made the situation worse.

"We know the only pastry you want to fill is Merlin's…"

"BAN!"

In a second the Fox found himself face to face with the wall, or better, in the wall, Diane's punch on the back of his head hadn't been light at all.

"Uh.. sorry Ban, are you okay?"

She was a little sorry, but the other Sin had it coming.

Escanor was a really bright red color, completely embarrassed, sputtering in his glass, and even Merlin's ears were hot at the Fox's suggestive remark, some very interesting images were spawning in her head, she mentally shook herself, hard, and hid her face taking another sip of her tea, trying to be nonchalant about it all.

"So, what will you be doing today?"

Diane tried to repel the embarrassed and uncomfortable silence.

At that question the Boar looked up to her, and then to the side, to her companion, they hadn't discussed their schedule for today yet.

"A-ah… w-well…"

The Lion seemed to have some plan already, but was reluctant to say anything now, looking nervously towards Ban, who had disengaged himself from the wall, and was now on his way to his chair. The Mage noted this, and decided to take matters in her hand.

"I was planning to let him choose some places that he had never seen in Britannia, that he wanted to visit, and teleport us there"

She looked at him then, seeing him completely surprised.

"If that is okay with you, Master"

She smiled softly his way, and he seemed to regain his senses.

"T-that would be p-perfect!"

He seemed happy with her suggestion.

"Well then, if you would excuse us"

Merlin quickly snapped her fingers and they were transported to her lab, she immediately turned to him.

"You had some plans in mind already, right, Master?"

Escanor looked at her a little embarrassed.

"W-well, yes! But it actually w-works really well with your, uhm, idea too!"

She inclined her head to the side, curious, and nodded for him to continue, he cleared his throat, and looked at her in the eyes, trying not to shift his gaze from hers.

"I… I want to draw and paint you"

Merlin was taken aback by his request, but his eyes showed only determination.

"And…"

Now he seemed a little uncomfortable.

"...I-I thought I could also t-teach you how to, uhm, draw and paint… you seemed interested in my d-drawing...the other day..."

His voice had gradually become more feeble, until he was almost whispering, and was nervously playing with his fingers, but he was able to maintain eye contact with her the whole time, while she was looking at him, astonished by his observations and ideas, she was also really touched, and smiled softly at him.

"I would really like that, you are a great teacher after all"

He was really happy to hear those words from her, and blushed, pleased.

"So, what do we need to take with us?"

She asked him, excited to see more of his sketches and to make him see new places.

"Uhmm… well, we will n-need two notepads, some p-pencils, and… maybe we could just sketch s-something today, and begin p-painting another day. We could also draw something that we could turn into a paint another time."

Escanor was really thoughtful, and was spourting ideas as they came into his mind, while Merlin was looking at him, amused and fascinated, she then walked right to him and took his hand in hers, that effectively stopped his flow of thoughts and made him come back to reality.

"I am ok with whatever you think it's for the best, and we have time, we have no need to rush things"

She squeezed lightly his hand, grinning his way, looking right into his beautiful blue eyes. He swallowed, heavily, almost losing himself in her deep golden gaze, squeezing her hand back, and smiling nervously but happy.

"I...I am g-glad"

After that Escanor went to his room to collect all the things he had that could be useful for their sketching day! Once he had everything secured in a bag, he went back to Merlin's lab to decide where they would go, which places they would visit today, he looked at the Britannia's map she had there, pointing at one place or another, asking her informations about that city there or this forest here, she was very well traveled, she had seen a very large part of Britannia, so she helped him, telling him what she knew.

"Mmm..there are so many p-places out there to visit, but we can start with these for today"

Decided the Lion, finally, while the Mage just smiled, nodding her assent.

"Shall we go then?"

He nodded, excited, and she had to admit that she couldn't wait for their travel-day to begin.

With a quick snap of her fingers they were gone.

The next instant Escanor's eyes were watching the magnificent view of a little town in front of the sea, they had arrived at the top of the hill near it, he had decided to begin their journey from a peaceful place that also had a great view and a calming ambiance, perfect to find inspiration and to pass a lovely morning together. He breathed in the salty air, closing his eyes and relishing the feel of the wind and the smell of the sea. Merlin looked at him, he seemed really relaxed, she smiled and mimicked him, closing her eyes and letting her other senses take over.

"You choose a perfect place to begin"

She was almost whispering, not wanting to break the peaceful moment.

"I don't even remember the last time that I simply stayed still and enjoyed something like this"

The Lion opened his eyes and looked at her, her voice was calm, but he could catch a little bit of sadness in her tone, and also in her gaze, as she reopened her eyes and watched the view, lost in her thoughts.

Now Escanor was even more determined to let her re-experience all these little things that had the power to light one's life, and that could make one smile even in the darkest of times. Now he was sure, after all the time she had spent alive, always searching for something new that had to be studied, or explained, or created, she had forgotten about all the joyous simple things that everyone could always found around themselves, maybe she had began to take them for granted, or had never really stopped and appreciated the more common facts, after the day before he was sure, she needed to rediscover the simple experiences of life, and he had decided to be the one to lead and accompany her through all this.

Without even thinking, he took her hand in his, her eyes looking at their clasped hands and then at him, surprised, he only smiled genuinely at her, with open affection, making her almost blush, and then gestured towards the path that would led them down the hill, to the village and the shore, before starting to walk in that direction, taking her with him. Merlin was shocked by his actions, finding herself looking at his back while he was leading her on the narrow path down towards the sea, and noticing for the first time how his back seemed really broad and strong, even in his night form, a back owned by a reliable and strong-willed person, or maybe she was just seeing things, but having him looking so confident in this form had took her by surprise, one really nice surprise. She smiled to herself, feeling warm inside, and as soon as the way permitted, she came up beside him, walking in step, smirking his way while squeezing his hand, strengthening their hold on each other, resulting in a really red Lion that was sporting a very wide and happy smile.

When they arrived at the end of the path they could admire up close the vastness of the sea, it left them almost breathless, and both decided to go take a walk on the shore, trying to find a good spot to begin drawing something. At a certain point the Mage bent down to take off her shoes, so that she could feel the softness of the sand under her feet, and the cool water when the waves reached her, Escanor immediately took her shoes from her other hand, carrying them for her, like a real gentleman, receiving a very bright smile as thanks; meanwhile they never broke their hold, walking hand in hand, in companionable silence, or chatting and laughing with each other.

"It is a shame that we didn't think to take a swimsuit with us, we could have gone swimming"

She mused with a little joking pout on her luscious lips, while he reddened at the thought of her in a swimsuit and the memory of her ensemble the last time they went to the sea with all the Sins.

"I-it is u-unfortunate…"

He looked everywhere but at her, trying to dissipate his flusteredness.

"Or…"

She went on, with a mischievous smirk on her lips.

"...we could always go swimming in the nude"

Her grin was predatory, and Escanor almost died then and there, coughing embarrassed and completely red, while she laughed in amusement.

"We should have to find another spot, one more secluded, for that. Maybe another time then."

She winked at him and continued their walk as if nothing happened, but he had a hard time trying to forget the images her words had evoked in his mind.

Finally they found a good spot on some flat rocks, from where they could watch the sea and the little town ahead, not so distant from them. The Lion placed her shoes and his bag on some rocks, pulling out the two notebooks and the pencils, giving a pair to her, while he sat on a rock taking the other pair, she followed him, and went to settle down right next to him, their shoulders almost touching; he blushed at their closeness, but was also comforted by it, then cleared his throat, and started to teach her something about drawing.

Merlin couldn't remember the last time she had felt so at peace with herself and the world around her, she wasn't even sure she had ever felt that way, and she had to thank Escanor for this, he was really making her discover so many different things, making her experience a variety of feelings she had yet to analyze, and she was really grateful for his company overall. She was also trying her best to grasp the basics of drawing, listening closely to his explanations and trying to put into practice his teachings.

They spent some time just sketching, the Lion began losing himself in his drawings, the Mage noticed that because she was looking at him often, curious about his sketches and his technique, and decided to take a pause from her works, her attention completely on him now. Her position wasn't very comfortable, so she shifted a little, coming even closer to him, her side was resting against him and she laid her head on his shoulder, founding this arrangement a lot more cozy than the previous one. Her companion froze, immediately coming back to the here and now, turning his head slightly to look at her in astonishment, he was also completely red, but focusing on her gaze, her beautiful golden eyes trained on his notebook, watching his drawings, and her small content smile, made him relax and smile in turn, refocusing on his sketches.

After some time Escanor turned to look at her again and found her seeming asleep on his shoulder, her eyes closed, her breath even, she was really a magnificent view, and he couldn't waste this unique opportunity.

Merlin was being lulled by the sound of the waves, and by the warmth of his body against hers, she closed her eyes and relaxed completely, going in a state of semi-sleep, almost in a meditative state of mind; she didn't know how long she stayed like that, but when she opened her eyes again what she saw took her breath away: he had drawn her, asleep on his shoulder, from his point of view, and was even coloring it, with some pencils he had brought with him on a whim, she was completely speechless, this drawing was full of sentiments, it was obvious even to an untrained eye that he had put himself fully in this, he had even colored her with so much gentleness, so much... l-...

She gasped softly, but that was enough to draw his attention, turning his head towards her, seeing her bewildered expression and, maybe some red on her cheek, could it be possible? Maybe, but it couldn't rivale his own blushing face.

"You are really a man of many talents Escanor, it is really beautiful"

She managed to say, still shocked and feeling something deep down that she couldn't recognize as of now.

"A-ah...w-well...I only put to p-paper, uhm, what I s-saw…"

He was embarrassed but also giddy from her compliment, and his words put a fond smile on her lips.

"H-how did it g-go for you?"

He tried to change the topic asking her about her own sketches.

"Well, I think I have to put some more effort into this"

She admitted laughing a little at her own lack of natural talent, showing him her notebook, he smiled, and also blushed when he spied a drawing that was unmistakably similar to his lion tattoo.

"W-well, you l-lack only in technique and practice, you have a d-detail oriented mind too, and t-that help while d-drawing"

He was really a kind teacher, he didn't refuse the fact that she wasn't doing all that great, he told her what she lacked but also which were her strong points, and she really liked that. She would have never thought that among everyone she knew, he would be the one to make her feel like a real person, she knew he idolized her, put her on a pedestal, but somehow he was also able to see and accept her faults, without changing the way he looked at her, it was something she was really puzzled about, one of the many mysteries that were part of the man named Escanor.

"Perhaps I need a more inspiring subject"

She began, smirking slightly.

"Maybe I should try to draw you"

The Lion reddened considerably, but tried to stay well anchored in his working mindset.

"W-well… uhm… before starting to d-draw someone, one s-should do an accurate s-study of the human b-body"

Merlin's smirk only grew, and he had the strange sensation to have fallen headfirst into a trap.

"So… I should study your body very well before I try drawing you, is that it, Master?"

She was regarding him with innocent eyes, but her amused grin said it all.

The Lion tried, with great effort, to not faint at the thoughts she was planting in his mind, and to find another topic to talk about, something that hadn't anything to do with anatomic studies of bodies.

"Mmm...uhm... it is a-almost l-lunch time, we c-could, uhm, go into town and s-see what it has to offer regarding f-food"

His suggestion was welcomed by a companionable grin from her part, nodding her assent, and letting him off the hook, for now.

They retrieved all their things, the Mage putting on her shoes again, and they began walking towards the little seaside town. They found an open-market that sold also food, fresh fish from that morning catch and cooked on the spot, and they both agreed to try some while walking around sight-seeing. There were so many different things, a lot of merchandise that was handmade using shells and natural materials that one could find near the shore or in the sea. Escanor was watching closely to see if something would catch his companion's interest, and he was able to catch the glint in her eyes at a particular object displayed, he took his chance while she had wandered ahead and bought it, putting it away for later.

Finally satisfied by their visit, they decided to go on at the next stop of their journey, the Boar snapped her fingers and they vanished.

Throughout the day they visited a big town, more lively, and with a festival coming up the next day, and Escanor told Merlin that he wanted to come back visit with her tomorrow, so that they could also experience a festivity different from the ones they knew, and she agreed immediately. After that they took a walk in a forest, admiring the vegetation and the wild life, both telling the other what they knew about some plant or another, or about some anecdotes on various animals and plants. The rest of the day they appeared here and there, sometimes only to see a single place, other times to take a walk and explore all around from a random starting point; they would frequently stop and sketch some more, Escanor wanted to immortalize every new thing he saw and experienced with her, and the drawings would help him to recall all the feelings he felt, to create new poems about this day, so that he would have proof of both what he saw and what he felt today.

They decided to watch the stars from another place tonight, not wanting to turn back to the Boar Hat just yet, they almost felt detached from time, they had never take a break from their duty and their routines like this, it felt surreal, but they were really enjoying this opportunity, trying to make the best of it.

When they finally had to return, the excitement of the day was clear on their faces still, and they said goodnight after finalizing their plans for the next day.

The thought to take some time for themselves, away from the other, never even crossed their minds, although in the game's rules it was never stated that the members of the couple should have to stay with each other all the time, but they didn't consider spending time together a bother, but more of an opportunity, that both were determined to make the most of.

Ok! This chapter was actually the most problematic for me as of now, I don't really know why, but I had a really hard time to write it, and at one point I wasn't really convinced, so I had to adjust it, so that it would satisfy me!
And I have Bertaz to thank for this! She really inspired me and helped me to finish this! Thank you so much girl! You are a lifesaver and a fantastic Escalin fan! 3 3 3

If you think that Escanor and Merlin are a little out of character, yeah, they may be, and they will be for sure, because I'm making them change a little, they're taking this "journey" together, so that at the end they will be a little different than how we are used to see them portraied.
I hope you will like them anyway! :)