A/N: Thanks to woundedowl for being my idea bouncer person again.
Those of you who have read the series will recognize that some of the ideas in this chapter are based on information revealed in the manga. I really don't think that anything would be considered a spoiler, but I thought I should give you a fair warning.
Thank you to everyone for reading!
.o0o.
The Princess Caught
Elizabeth was miserable. Liones was in a worse state than she had feared. The castle and city had extensive damages from the battle; everything from food to lumber to medical supplies was running out. Calls had gone out to every corner of the kingdom and Liones' allies for aid, but the response was slow going. Hendrickson and Dreyfus had alienated many of the other kingdoms with their hubris. Elizabeth feared what would happen if the people went hungry.
Making everything worse, Elizabeth was homesick for the Boar Hat. She missed the Sins' camaraderie, the easy way they were with each other, even when fighting. She missed Hawk's sweetness. Most of all, she missed Meliodas.
She would sit in long meetings with advisors and think about the way he would smile when he called out her name, or his laugh when the others would argue. She caught herself imagining the way he would whisper in her ear when he would sneak his hand to grope her. Nights were especially difficult. As exhausted as she was from handling problem after problem all day, she found sleeping alone almost impossible. Elizabeth would lay awake for a long time wishing she could feel his warm presence next to hers, hear him make silly jokes in bed, or even listen to his soft snoring.
Diane tried her best to help the princess. She sat with her for the long hours of meeting after meeting, and kept Elizabeth company in the evenings when they were both too tired to even talk. But she was a warrior, and she became restless just listening to the seemingly endless string of complaints Elizabeth sifted through each day.
One morning during breakfast, Elizabeth was reviewing her schedule when she looked up and saw Diane with a gloomy expression on her face. The princess sighed and said, "I'm so sorry, Lady Diane."
The Serpent Sin lifted her head in surprise. "Sorry for what?"
"All of this," Elizabeth replied. "You shouldn't have to deal with all of these problems. You've spent every day sitting with me, and I…" She sighed and tossed the paper onto the table. "I'm no closer to resolving things here so we can go back."
"Elizabeth, I'm here to help you!" Diane exclaimed. "You're my friend."
The princess shook her head, her face hardening in a newfound resolve. "Enough is enough," she said, standing. "Liones needs her king. I'm going to find my father and talk some sense into him."
"Should I come with you?"
"No," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "I think this will be easier if I do this on my own." She took a deep breath and quickly exited.
Diane looked around, unsure of what to do next. The only other person she really knew in the capital was Howzer, so she decided to go find him. He had told her he was assigned to the Southern Tower, which was the new headquarters for the Holy Knights now that the Magical Research Center had been destroyed.
Howzer turned out to be easy to find. He was leading a group of apprentices through a series of drills in the courtyard that doubled as a practice arena. She called a greeting, and Howzer waved her over with a huge smile. "Diane! You came!" He called a halt to the exercise. "You are in the presence of a great Holy Knight," he announced. "May I present one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Serpent Sin Diane!"
A murmur went through the group of two dozen men and women. "I thought the Serpent Sin is a giant!" one of them called out.
"I am!" Diane shouted indignantly. "Just… not right now."
A few laughed. "Is this a joke, Sir Howzer?" another called.
"I would never joke about the Serpent Sin, or any of the Seven Deadly Sins," he responded gravely. "Diane, would you care to show us a demonstration of your power level?"
Diane grinned. "I'd be happy to, but only if you're my opponent."
Howzer laughed. "A rematch it is."
.o0o.
Elizabeth hunted through the castle for her father. She finally found him in the armory, trying out different swords. He called a happy greeting to her and the princess stalked forward.
"Father," she said evenly, "we need your assistance today. There are still a great many things to—"
"Elizabeth," he said mildly, "I'm sure you and Margaret have things well in hand."
"That's—that's not the point!" she exclaimed. "You are the king. The people need you. We need you."
The king lowered the sword he was currently examining and looked at her sternly. "I would watch that tone, young lady. I am not in the mood for any theatrics."
"What—no, I didn't mean—" Elizabeth sucked in a breath. "I just meant—"
"Margaret will be queen one day. This is good experience for her."
Elizabeth wrung her hands. "She still needs your guidance. We all do. The people want to see their king. They need to know you care for them."
The king laughed and went back to examining the balance of the sword. "What nonsense you come up with, Elizabeth. Now run along, I'm in the middle of something."
Elizabeth's mouth opened in shock. She started to turn to go, but then gritted her teeth and turned back around to face the king. "No. I will not go. You are going to listen to me, and come to your senses this—this instant!"
The king turned his attention back to her, but to her alarm, he did not lower his sword. "What did you just say to me?"
Elizabeth hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting to the weapon in his hand. "This isn't you at all. My father is a good king who cares about his people and his kingdom."
"Liones is the greatest kingdom in Britannia," he answered coldly. "That is my doing. That is what I care about."
Furious tears rose to her eyes, and she flushed red with anger. "How can you say such a thing?" she seethed.
Before he could answer, a guard ran into the room. Giving the king a short bow, he said, "Your Majesty! There is a force approaching from the north. It will be at the gate within the hour."
"So get the Grand Master," he answered.
Elizabeth gasped as the solider stammered, "But Sire—there—there is no Grand Master!"
The king growled in aggravation. "Can't Margaret do anything?" He strapped on the sword and stormed out of the room. After an unsure moment, Elizabeth hurried after him.
.o0o.
"Cyclone!" Howzer shouted. The winds began to swirl, and the apprentices had to shield their eyes as a tornado swept past them and towards the Serpent Sin. Diane smiled and raised one hand to the sky. "Heavy Metal!" she yelled, and as the winds enveloped her, she stayed planted on the ground.
Howzer made a swipe through the air with his hand, and the tornado vanished. "You remembered that one, huh?" he laughed.
"How could I forget?" she joked back. "It felt more powerful than last time, though."
Howzer turned to the group and explained the properties behind Diane's defensive strategy, and Diane took the moment to catch her breath. She and Howzer had been fighting for almost a half hour, and she knew she would need a break soon. She certainly hadn't been showing her full strength—it was just training, after all, and she didn't want to actually hurt him—but the steady barrage of attacks was starting to wear on her stamina.
"Now I'm going to show you a defensive move using agility," Howzer announced. The group murmured in approval as he turned back to face Diane. "If you would, Lady Diane."
She grinned and summoned her power to send another attack, but then paused. There was a sudden prick on the back of her neck, and as she tuned into it, she immediately sensed that there was a new power approaching the city. She turned her face northward, and Howzer called out, "Diane? What is it?"
A moment later, he felt it too. He jogged over to stand next to her. "It's not a full army," she said. "But there's definitely power behind it, and it's moving fast."
The apprentices were just beginning to pick up on the threat as it steadily approached. They called to Howzer for instructions, and he shouted, "Get to your positions on the wall. Be ready to aid in the city's defense." The group dispersed, and Howzer said to her, "Will you come?"
Diane's eyes suddenly went wide. "Elizabeth," she gasped. "I have to get back to Elizabeth. I promised I'd make sure she's safe. I need to go." With only a brief glance at Howzer, she ran in the direction of the palace.
Holy Knights were scurrying around, shouting directions to one another as they made their way to their positions. Everyone was now alerted to the approaching threat, and the Knights worked to send the people into their homes for shelter. Diane gritted her teeth in frustration. She realized she had no idea where the princess was in the castle.
"This would be so much easier if I was a giantess!" she wailed to herself.
.o0o.
Elizabeth was on the king's heels as he strode into the throne room. Margaret and Gilthunder were already there, listening to an update from one of the guards. "Father, there is—" Margaret began, but the king cut her off with a withering look.
"I'm aware of the situation," he barked at her, and then turned to the guard. "Order the Holy Knights to be ready to attack."
"Attack!" Gilthunder cried. "Forgive me, Sire, but we don't even know if this group is a friend or enemy."
"Anyone who dares to approach Liones with an army is no friend," he growled. "If they want a show of strength, then that's what we will give them."
Gilthunder responded with a more gentle tone. "I must remind Your Majesty that between the loss of the New Generation and the casualties from the battle with Hendrickson, we have less than half the Holy Knights as our usual number."
They were interrupted by another page hurrying in the room. "Sire, it's Prince Lucius of Marakia. He has come ahead of his force, and is demanding to see you."
The king narrowed his lips. "Show him in. He can speak to Margaret."
The page hurried back out and Margaret turned to her father. "Father!" she protested. "Surely as king—"
"You will find out what he wants and send him on his way. If he gives you any trouble, Gilthunder can remind him of how the Holy Knights of Liones handle an enemy."
"Marakia has always been a friend to Liones. This would be a good time to mend the fences that Hendrickson and Dreyfus destroyed as Grand Masters."
"Spare me your talk of friendship," he snapped at her. "I am uninterested in mending fences with a kingdom who attacks the capital."
He strode back out, and a heavy silence hung over them. "Margaret, what should we do?" Elizabeth asked.
Margaret took a deep breath and pulled her shoulders back as the doors opened. "We'll do as the king commands."
The Marakian prince entered, flanked by a half dozen Holy Knights. He was younger than Gilthunder, and much more stout, but he was elegantly dressed and walked with a firm command of the room. Elizabeth quickly moved next to her sister, and they both curtseyed in respect.
"Could the rumors be true?" Lucius' voice boomed in the chamber. "A girl is in charge of Liones after all!"
"Your Highness," Margaret began, "may I—"
"Where is Baltra?" he demanded.
"His Majesty has asked me to greet you. How can I be of service, prince?"
Lucius smiled. "My father wanted to send his best wishes in Liones' time of… difficulty. It seems as though the city has had some troubles of late."
"Liones is as strong as it has ever been," the princess replied.
"And yet, your Grand Masters are both gone. Your city is in rubble. Liones has sent out calls for aid to every corner of Brittania. Is that not all true?"
Gilthunder looked at him darkly, but Margaret forced a smile. "It is true, our two Grand Masters are both no more. The king has resumed rule of Liones, and the Holy Knights are united behind him."
Lucius regarded her a minute before continuing in a clipped voice, "Your Holy Knights have done countless wrongs against Marakia. Your Grand Masters destroyed our long years of friendship in one stroke when they ordered an invasion of our borders. They stole our lands, our resources, and oppressed the people. I am here to collect on the debt Liones owes us."
"Liones will never—"
"Liones is hanging by a thread!" the prince shouted. "One word and my army will attack, and break that thread if need be."
"You must be careful when making a threat of strength against the Holy Knights of Liones," Gilthunder said coldly.
"We may perish, but you will as well," the prince replied.
There was a tense moment of silence. Elizabeth clutched her sister's hand. They all knew it to be true: although Marakia did not have much hope of defeating Liones' Holy Knights, the resulting battle would be devastating for both sides.
"What is it you want?" Gilthunder finally asked.
"Many things," he answered. "But I'll start with one of the princesses."
