I opened my eyes to see several heads surrounding me like a strange ring of confusion, intrigue, and a pinch of suffocation. The pink haired man, Gowther, mumbled calculations of wellness above my forehead. I could swear I felt a cupped hand on my breast, now only covered by the thin fabric of a blanket. Meliodas was the culprit, no doubt, standing right in between Elizabeth and tiny Diane as a green pillow floated up ahead. Ban scratched his chin in thought as the chatty pig slept soundly on his shoulder.

"Oh dear Lenara, are you okay?" Elizabeth questioned as she brushed a strand of my hair back. I groaned and touched my head, realizing someone had taken out my braids. I must have looked a mess.

"Who undressed me?" I asked flatly. Countless pairs of eyes floated towards the blonde in the center of the ring.

"Come on guys! Let's give our new friend some space!" The accused said nervously, probably preparing for a bashing as he stepped back.

Gowther cleared his throat. "Luckily, we managed to bandage your wounds and pluck out each foreign object; thirty- seven splinters and one branch, three and a half inches deep."

"The splinters were way too tedious. I'm not doing that shit again." Ban whined, making me feel kind of bad. "But, I mean, I guess it's better than…" He trailed off before stepping back. I wondered if he saw the despair in my face and tried covering up his annoyance.

I rose from my back, careful to keep the blanket over my body. The bandages were well tight, but luckily I could still move pretty well. "So, I guess I should go ahead and get dressed. Kovak and I should be on our way soon."

"What? You can't leave now!" Diane exclaimed. "You won't make it very far in that condition!"

"I didn't want to impose…" I mumbled.

"Nonsense! I took the liberty of looking through your bag, and I think you could be of some help." Meliodas proudly claimed.

My entire body froze, teeth gritted and lips pursed. I could have breathed fire through my nostrils in that moment. What did he find that he saw helpful?

"Captain, she doesn't look too happy." Ban warned.

"I don't blame her." Said the voice from above, continuously floating around Diane like a sick puppy.

What did you see, Meliodas? Could it have been Kovak's lucky dragon bone?

"What makes you think you can look through a girl's belongings?" Diane scolded, hands on her hips.

Did you find my father's knife? Or, was it my diary full of drawings and stories?

Meliodas shrugged. "Well to tell the truth, a little book full of recipes fell out of your bag. I thought it was Ban's, since he's the real cook around here."

My lips parted in astonishment. "You found my dad's recipe book?" I snorted a laugh, tightening my arms around my chest. Meliodas held the red book in the air and nodded in agreement.

"I mean, look at this thing. We could make so much money. So many tips and tricks…"

"Meliodas…let me see that book." Elizabeth inquired skeptically and gently pulled it from his grasp. Her delicate fingers flipped page through page. She inspected the binding, and finally flipped back to the first page. Bright eyes widened at the name on the inside.

"Elidiyon and Elbiyon Heatherford?" She squealed, and handed the book back to Meliodas. "Oh, I knew that name sounded familiar! Lenara Heatherford?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Yes?"

She jumped back to the side of my bed. "Elidiyon and Elbiyon were the twin chefs that served the palace! We knew each other when we were children! Elbiyon was your father!"

Elizabeth. Oh I knew Elizabeth! It was so long ago, but my memories of the palace had been completely wiped out. My parents were the only reason I knew about the palace. They were always telling me about how much I loved it there, and how much the Royal family loved us…

"I'm sorry Elizabeth, but I…I don't remember it really. My father told me I was in an accident not long after he opened the bakery. So, I've completely forgotten a chunk of my life."

Elizabeth frowned and her eyes began to water. I felt terribly bad, but I didn't want to lie. Truly, I had no memory of the palace and I barely remembered my Uncle Elidiyon. My parents opened a bakery, pretty far from Liones when I was just entering my teens. I never could recall much of my childhood, but that was why I kept the recipes around. To me, they were more than that. Every page was an anecdote from my time with them. How I wished I had the funds or the means just to taste the memories once again.

"Hey, you know…I guess I'm going to have to be here for a minute. Maybe you and I could do some catching up. You can help me remember." I reached out to Elizabeth. She smiled, giving a tiny giggle.

"Great!" Meliodas agreed and tossed the recipe book to Ban. He caught it with ease and started flipping through pages. "Since you're too weak to cook, we'll get Ban to fix us some Lunch!"

Ban licked his fingers and turned a few more pages deep. "Using a recipe book? That'll be a first." He mumbled before something caught his eye. "Hey, they cooked with magic? Who knew spells could give your meat so many flavors." The towering man paced back and forth, head deep in thought as he read through the book.

"Was that a sexual joke, Ban?" Meliodas smirked.

"Only if you take it that way, Cap'n."

"I hope he learns something new. I'm tired of the same thing! Hey are there any sweets in there?" Diane asked.

"If not, I'll go find you something sweet!" King replied anxiously.

"Diane." Gowther started. "It wouldn't make sense for a palace chef to not have sweets in his recipe book."

My head began to hurt. "Enough." I scolded boldly.

Everyone stood still, turning their eyes slowly like they had just been caught red handed in the cookie jar. "I'm sorry, I just feel smothered right now. "

"We'll leave you to it then." Meliodas said. King floated out on his pillow and Diane followed, bidding me well.

Gowther paused and pointed to my bandaged belly. "Before I go, I just want you to know that those will need to be changed soon. There's no need to air it out, just keep yourself clean."

"Sure." I nodded with a smile. He gracefully left the room, leaving me puzzled by his demeanor. His voice was like fresh air, but with no trace of feelings.

Ban stood silently, still wrapped up in the book. He walked without paying any attention and nearly fell head first into one of the short dressers. Hawk snorted on his shoulder before falling back asleep. "Shitty furniture!" He growled as he clutched his foot. "Sorry kids, just because you're immortal doesn't mean stubbing your toe isn't any less annoying."

After he left, Elizabeth remained by my side and smoothly patted my hand. "Lenny, why are you traveling? I thought, you'd still be working at the bakery? Oh, I remember when father told me you were all leaving! I was so upset that day."

I sighed, wishing she wouldn't have asked. The truth was still too painful, even after the few years I had been gone. "Elizabeth, there was a fire at the bakery three years ago."

"W-what?"

"I don't really remember much. I sometimes had a bad habit in the kitchens, you know? I'd leave things where they shouldn't have been…" I trailed off, feeling emotional. "Our house was attached to the bakery. It all just burnt down."

She squeezed my hand tightly. "It couldn't have been your fault, Lenny."

I shrugged. "Someone pulled me out of bed. By that time, there was nothing I could do. They just told me to run, and if I was found, everyone would know it was all my fault."

She stared at me blankly, confused by my story. "But, who saved you? You don't even know how it happened?"

I shook my head. "No, I have no idea what happened or who saved me. I can't even remember if it was a man or a woman. I just…if I tell myself that they're dead, then I won't get my hopes up."

Elizabeth jumped to her feet. "We're going to make some new memories, Lenny. Your father was so good to us. If he's really gone, then I have to pay him back somehow."

My eyes began to water. She was too kind to me. Suddenly she threw herself into the nearby closet, rapidly searching through some decent clothes. "We're going to change those bandages and get you dressed for lunch!" She declared. I smiled as I rested, fluttering my eyes open and shut.

"Oh, Lenny? Did I mention how Meliodas and I met?"

"Actually, no. How did you guys meet?"

"Well…" She began, nervously squeezing a burgundy top. "Meliodas and everyone else…"

I tightened my lips. "Spit it out."

"They're the sins. The seven deadly sins!" She smiled. My head fell back into my pillow.

Nice.

AN: Hey guys, just wanted to help with some pronunciation.

Elidiyon = El-id (As in middle) - ian

Elbiyon = El - BEE - on (As in yawn)