Red, crimson puddles covered the floor where blood had poured onto the dusty earth. Elizabeth stood stock still, her throat stinging as tears pricked the back of her eyes and the taste of iron filled her senses. There was so much death, the ground littered with bodies, many still as stones, only a few twitching and groaning in agony.

"Victory!" The cry resounded over the battlefield, the goddess clan answering the triumphant call. "Victory!" her comrades yelled back, her ears ringing with the sound, her teeth clenching involuntarily at the tasteless celebration. Victory it may be, but at what cost? Among the hundreds of corpses littering the ground, some dark, some fair, from all the races of Britannia, were many with white wings, feathers stained red, the appendages sticking out at odd angles.

Their side had suffered terrible casualties. The vampires lay dead, every last one of the clan slaughtered by the demon forces. Elizabeth closed her eyes, her head feeling light and faint as she tried to block out the image of Ren Of The Black Claw, her body torn and crumpled, a hole pierced right through her chest. She felt sick, disgusted, and very tired of war.

"They proved useful after all." Elizabeth whipped round, feeling her face flush with anger as she looked into Ludoshel's self-satisfied face. "The vampires were the perfect decoy. The demons were so busy with them they forgot about the rest of us. Look," he gloated as he gestured over the land. "The scum can hardly recover from this."

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth tried to yell but her voice came out in a barely-audible whisper. "We may have won this battle but it is hardly the war. The demons can't have sent out more than a fifth of their forces."

"True enough, if you mean those vapid foot soldiers. But have you really failed to notice the significance of this fight?" The disapproval in the archangel's tone made her blood boil. "You are such an innocent, Elizabeth," Ludoshel taunted, "you really are blind to the implications?"

Ludoshel's face pulled into a smirk. "Look there," he commanded as he gestured to a spot right in the middle of melee. Elizabeth peered at the mass of bodies, her attention caught by the ruffle of fabric, a white cloak as it fluttered in the breeze. The garment was draped over a corpse, evidently a demon to judge from his semi-nakedness. Beside him lay another body, tawny hair matted, her form completely bare, her darkness having dissolved as her life force drained away.

"The Commandments of Reticence and Purity," Ludoshel explained excitedly as he turned back towards her. "And we have also felled the Commandments of Faith, Pierty, Patience, Repose, Death and Truth. That is the bulk of them gone, don't you understand?" he barked as Elizabeth froze, her heart pounding in her chest. "The demons cannot possibly recover from this. We have won this battle and we will triumph in this war. Britannia is as good as ours."

"And what of Love?" Elizabeth asked breathlessly, her hands curling and uncurling at her sides as she fought to contain her spiralling emotions. Please don't be harmed, please don't be harmed she repeated over and over in her mind, her silent prayer taking all of her focus.

"You talk of love? For demons?" Ludoshel scoffed, his brows drawing into a deep scowl. "You were always a fool, but this is beyond ludicrous. You…"

"She speaks of the Commandment." Elizabeth panicked, her breathing coming in sharp bursts, blood ticking in her veins like an itch under her skin. She closed her eyes as Mael drew close, the waves of his power rolling through the air his unmistakable signature. "The Lady Elizabeth is asking what has become of Prince Meliodas, the one who holds the Commandment of Love."

"Oh!" Ludoshel said crossly, "well how was I supposed to know? He escaped, irritatingly," he added. The relief Elizabeth felt was immediate in its effect, and she felt her shoulders droop as she the tears threatened to flow. The anxiety she had felt was too strong to fade, the respite from her terror merely leaving her vulnerable. It was all she could do to withstand the tremor in her legs, the urge to sink to her knees in gratitude almost overwhelming her. She hardly heard as Ludoshel continued, "We lost the doll, too, but no matter. I understand he is not the one who holds the Commandment."

"What did you do with them, brother? Did you seal them in amber?" Mael asked as he sheathed his sword, the winged weapon scraping against metal as he stowed it away.

Ludoshel looked with irritation at the archangel, the corners of his mouth turned down. "Why would I need to seal them? They are deceased, completely and utterly cold?"

"I don't mean the fighters, I mean their Commandments," Mael said patiently, his brows creasing into a frown. "You know they can pass those among themselves."

"How do you know that?" Elizabeth asked sharply just as Ludoshel gasped in shock. She bit her lip hard enough to taste blood, wondering how she could cover her indiscretion. She should not be aware of this information. Meliodas had told her when he had spoken of Zeldris, concerned that his brother would be made to take one if the war continued. The sun had shone warmly as she held the demon close, running her fingers through his bright hair and wishing she could banish all the pain he was feeling.

Mael looked distinctly uncomfortable. "I… um… heard it somewhere I suppose…"

"You are both fools!" Ludoshel yelled as Mael hung his head. "Why did you take so long to disclose this information? I will speak to you later. For now, we can only pray it is not too late." Without further word, Ludoshel shot into the sky, disturbing the air around them.

"He will have taken them, Meliodas I mean," Mael said slowly, his cheeks flushed red as he looked at Elizabeth. "I… overheard you," he admitted, his face contorting with shame.

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked gently, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm. It was hard to see her childhood friend in discomfort. "You can tell me, Mael. What's been going on?"

Mael swallowed hard, his adam's apple bobbing slightly as he struggled to speak. "I did not want you to ever find out, but I can't keep secrets from you. I've been watching you, and him, at the sky palace..." Mael trailed off sheepishly and Elizabeth froze, her arm dropping to her side as she stared at the archangel she had cared for and trusted.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I really am," Mael continued into the silence. "At first I just wanted to make sure you were safe, to protect you if anything went wrong. But… it soon became clear you were in no danger. I tried to stop looking, I did! I just…"

Elizabeth waited, the initial disgust that had twisted at her insides already simmering to something like sorrow. "I couldn't," Mael whispered, his eyes fixed on the dirt. "I… I care for you. I just wanted to be near you. I wanted what he had, so I watched, torture that it was. I should have realised what I dreamed of was impossible. You love him. I can see that. I didn't really accept it until I saw you so desolate, but I know that now. I am so sorry. I don't know if you can ever forgive me, but I just want you to be happy and I promise you I will never lie to you again."

Elizabeth took several deep breaths, before gagging slightly, the air perfumed as it was with charcoal and death. She could see the regret Mael felt was genuine; his shoulders were slumped, his bright blue eyes downcast. He looked the very picture of misery. "I forgive you," she murmured, forcing herself to give sound to the words. It would be easier to do what she knew to be right if she made the declaration out loud.

"He is fine, Meliodas I mean," Mael said quickly, rushing in before Elizabeth could say anything further. "I saw him depart with what remained of the demons. The slight injuries he sustained will be easy to heal."

Elizabeth sighed, the knowledge that her beloved was safe giving her space to consider what was in front of her. Her gaze returned to the scale of the slaughter: the demons had suffered heavy casualties certainly but nothing to their own losses. Vampires were lying dead on the ground in their hundreds, glassy eyes and broken limbs. "This is terrible," she whispered, her heart sinking to her stomach. "Why did Ludoshel allow so many to die."

"It… was a deliberate strategy," Mael said unwillingly, and once more Elizabeth stared at him with incredulity. "My brother discussed it with the Supreme Deity," he continued, the words almost falling over themselves in his eagerness to offload them. "The vampires were sent in to draw the demons' focus. Their king is livid about the loss of The Executioner. It was not intended that any would survive this attack."

"This was on purpose?" Elizabeth felt a sudden prickling at the back of her eyes as she took in more and more bodies belong to their new allies. Each and every one felt like a stab to her heart, knowing that they had been a deliberate sacrifice. "But this is barbaric," she said, choking back her sob as Mael placed a comforting arm round her shoulders. "She can't do this," Elizabeth declared. "She just can't."

"I agree." Elizabeth spun round to look Mael straight in the face, her mouth dropping open slightly as she saw the determined line of his jaw. The archangel was never one to disagree with her mother. "No, I mean it," he continued, obviously sensing Elizabeth's confusion. "If our clan treat our allies like this, the other races will turn on us. Besides," Mael added as he swallowed hard, "I… you… you're not going to be happy until you are reunited with that demon. And that's not going to happen while Her Grace is in charge."

"What are you saying?" Elizabeth peered carefully into Mael's face. "You hate demons. Why are you…"

"I was wrong," Mael said simply as he shrugged his shoulders. "Meliodas is no devil. He saved your life today. Most of the demons here were killed by our army, but not the Commandments of Patience and Repose. They are dead by Meliodas's hand. Both were intent on attacking you. I was flying to your aid but if he had not acted you would have been killed. My brother always said they were incapable of feeling, the demons. Well, the things I have seen today would suggest he is wrong. And the vampires did not deserve this fate."

"What can we do?" Elizabeth groaned as she once more took in the piles of corpses. "We have to stop this. Whatever it takes!"

"Are you sure?" Mael asked and Elizabeth looked up at him sharply, stretching her neck a little. "Because there is a way. It's just… insane."

"What is it?" Elizabeth watched as Mael's lip trembled slightly, his face pinching as he bit the inside of his cheek.

"You must take your mother's place." Mael examined her with a critical eye. "If you became our leader you could negotiate with the demons. You could bring an end to this war."

Elizabeth laughed, the sound ringing out over the field. Several of those tending the wounded looked at her crossly, some tutting audibly as she quickly stifled her mirth. "I could never beat my mother," she said between giggles. "You may not have noticed but she is much more powerful than I am…"

"But she is not more powerful than both of us, at least not at noon." The breath caught in Elizabeth's lungs, the world tilting slightly on its axis as she processed Mael's words. When the sun reached its zenith in the sky he was indeed invincible. With her help, maybe…

"We could at least try it, what's the worst that could happen?" Mael chuckled as he gave voice to her thoughts and Elizabeth once more started to laugh. "I think it is a risk worth taking at any rate. What do you think?"

Elizabeth reached out a hand, taking Mael's tentatively in her own, the flesh warm and comforting in her hold. "Yes," she said simply as the archangel nodded, their fingers lacing together as they made their pact.

Meliodas stood to attention in the shadowy gloom, his hearts pounding fast in his chest. He was not frightened, not really. However badly the battle had gone, he was confident his part in the goddess' victory was not known, and was sure that whatever chastisement he would face, nothing serious would befall his person. His father, however harsh, was far too fond of him for that, not to mention Chandler would come to his aid if push came to shove.

Still, it was not pleasant standing in the throne room, the atmosphere so chill it could freeze blood. Meliodas wondered if it was deliberately designed to intimidate, before deciding it was, the huge, ornate onyx of the throne as it stood on the dais, towering over the rest of the space. His father sat like stone in the very centre of the chair, his fingers thrumming on the carved armrests. The prince did not need to look into the king's face to know that his father was seething with fury.

"Explain yourself!" the demon king yelled, his knuckles turning pale as he gripped the arms of the throne. "All of this kingdom's resources have been invested in your development. How could you have failed in your task so completely?"

Meliodas took several breaths, his face working as he let the anger that raged burn through his mind. Lips clamped together, he indulged the wrath for a minute, counting the seconds as silence echoed through the room. After the minute was up, he imagined a box, carved from rosewood with a silver clasp. He placed the anger within the confines of the container, closing it with a bang before filing it away. He had scoffed when Chandler had first sought to teach him this trick, and has grown irritated as his tutor insisted on repeating the lesson over and over again until he had mastered the skill, but he had to admit that it worked.

"We were unexpectedly ambushed," Meliodas said slowly, forcing his breathing to remain regular and his arms to hang limp at his sides. "As per Your Majesty's instructions, our soldiers put all their energies into destroying the vampires when their clan first appeared on the battlefield. They were so engrossed, the goddess clan were able to take them by surprise, with the catastrophic results of which I have told you. The vampire princess was not there," he added, not quite succeeding in keeping the spite out of his tone. "Nor was Zeldris…."

"You will not speak that traitor's name! At least not until he has returned. Once he is back here where he belongs and has been re-educated to forget that wretched female, then we can welcome your brother back into the fold."

"I have explained," Meliodas said as patiently as he could, "Ze… the one of whom you speak is untraceable. He cannot be located…"

"Nonetheless you will find him!" the demon king boomed, his fist banging hard on the arm of the throne. The clang of metal rang through the air, and Meliodas saw a small crack appear in the onyx. Evidently his father really was furious. "More than half our best warriors have gone! You will go fetch the boy. We need him to turn this war back in our favour. And no, I do not care what methods you use, fair or foul, I want him here and I want him now. You will leave no stone unturned in your search."

Meliodas bowed, seeing his father would not be dissuaded. "Your will is my command," he muttered, as he began to step backwards away from the king.

"Oh, and Meliodas," the demon king said, his voice sounding thoughtful and the prince stood stock still. It was never a good sign when his father sounded like that. "The girl he has with him, make sure you do her no harm. She will be useful. Bring her back here to me. The traitor will need to be taught a lesson."

Meliodas gasped, and he looked his father full in the face, horror flooding through him as he saw the cold smile. "You… you can't…" he protested. "Zeldris…"

"I told you not to speak his name! And as for 'can't', who here is king? One day you will succeed me, it is true, but not for many millennia to come. Until then you will shut up and do as you are told.

"And another thing," the king added as Meliodas felt his face glow with an unwelcome heat. "I have been told the goddess slut, Elizabeth I believe is her name, spoke to you some little time ago. Her audacity is beyond my forgiveness. You will see to it that she does not survive your next encounter. Failure on this occasion will not be tolerated."

Meliodas gulped, making his exit without further word, turning to stride through the hallways as soon as he had quitted the room. There was absolutely no way he could carry out these instructions. To drag Zeldris back against his will was bad enough but to place the one he loved in such peril? Let alone what he was to do with Elizabeth. The longer they had been apart, the more he had come to realise how much he adored her. Seeing her so close to death in the battle had near driven him mad, and he had acted without thinking, the bodies of Aranak and Zeno at his feet causing him some surprise. To kill her himself was absolutely impossible.

Mind working fast, Meliodas practically ran through the palace, the soft pad of his feet on the deep pile carpet changing to the clang of metal on stone as he made his way down to the dungeons. The blue demons guarding the prison he sought cawed at his approach, but stepped aside in response to Meliodas's glare. He stepped through the barrier, the magic seal preventing the entrance of all but himself and the tutors, the only ones allowed to converse with this particular captive.

As always the room was surprisingly warm, the amber glow of the fire cheerfully lighting the space, illuminating the many books piled every which way on shelves, on the desk positioned in the middle of the room, and the floor all around it. Behind the desk sat the man he sought, his thin, kindly face brightened with his smile. "Greetings, Captain," the man called as he wheeled his chair around the table towards Meliodas. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need your help." Meliodas's jaw worked as he wondered how to put his request into words, his discomforted ending when Gowther said, "Yes, I have been expecting you. I take it the king has finally threatened your brother, and now you need to find a way to challenge his command?"

"How is it you always know everything?" Meliodas grumbled, and he folded his arms across his chest.

Gowther chuckled as he stroked his goatee. "That is my business," he finally replied, "and the question is also irrelevant. What you really need to ask is whether I will give you my Commandment."

"That is what I came here for," Meliodas admitted. "I see no other way out of this than to challenge my father for the throne, otherwise he will not rest until Zeldris is ruined. I know my brother," Meliodas said softly. "He will not come back without a fight. No doubt my father will torture him, and the vampire he loves. I have the other Commandments; I took them during the battle. I just need yours."

Gowther continued to stroke his beard thoughtfully. "You know this enterprise is not without peril," he said, a statement not a question. "If you absorb the Commandments and take on so much power you may never be the same person again."

"I will take that chance." Meliodas squared his shoulders, drawing himself up to his full height. "Don't worry, I intend to relinquish the power as soon as my task is done. I… have a reason for wishing to be able to go to Britannia."

"So the rumours are true. You are in love with a goddess?" Gowther asked. Meliodas paused, then slowly inclined his head. There was no point concealing this fact from Gowther; he would find out eventually anyway.

"Then I will give to you the Commandment Of Selflessness," Gowther agreed. Without further warning he began to mutter the incantation, the light shining on the stones fading from gold to indigo. The air crackled, the scent of charcoal filling his senses as a floating orb materialised before the mage.

"Use it well," Gowther said simply as he held out the prize, allowing Meliodas to take it from his hand. "Britannia needs peace. When you have accomplished your goal, see to it that you end the war. It is the only way to protect the goddess you care for."

"I will, I promise," Meliodas agreed as he quickly took his leave to make his way back through the castle to prepare for the fight.