Chance Encounters

Elizabeth stole up the staircase and through a corridor. She was trying to avoid being seen, which was typically difficult with a castle full of servants, counselors, and guards. She did not want her father hearing word of what she was doing or where she was heading.

As she ducked into another stairwell, she pressed back against the wall and sighed. Elizabeth was being followed, and she was pretty certain she knew who it was. She waited silently for a minute, and then sure enough, footsteps echoed closer. After another minute, Prince Lucius rounded the corner, starting in surprise when he saw her.

"What are you doing?" she hissed at him.

"You shouldn't be alone," he answered her. When she shushed him, he went on quietly, "There is a battle going on and there are Holy Knights everywhere. Do you think you ought to be running around unattended?"

Elizabeth turned her gaze away, not wanting to be caught rolling her eyes at the prince. She listened for someone coming down the end of the hall, and when it seemed clear, she hurried up the steps and past the rows of doors, the prince on her heels.

"Where are we going?" he whispered in her ear as she paused. Elizabeth jumped and whirled on him, frustrated. "Don't do that!"

Lucius took her firmly by the elbow. "I want to know where we're going. Are you leading me into some kind of trap?"

"Haven't I proven myself trustworthy to you by now?" she retorted, not even trying to keep the scorn from her voice. "If you are that worried, then go."

"Haven't I told you I'm not leaving without a princess?" he said with a half smile. Elizabeth yanked her arm away and prepared to answer him back when they both froze at the sound of voices. The princess hurried a little further down the hallway, Lucius following behind. She pushed a door open and they slipped inside.

Elizabeth listened, the door slightly ajar. "I thought I heard someone come down here," came from the hallway.

"No one is here. You are imagining things," another answered.

The footsteps receded, and Elizabeth shut the door with a small click. She turned and started looking through the stacks of papers on a large table near the windows on the far side of the room. "What is this?" the prince asked.

"The king's private study," Elizabeth answered. She peered at a paper before tossing it aside. "There is something wrong with my father, and I want to find out why. He doesn't act this way."

Lucius folded his arms and scoffed, "It seems that the king of Liones has been treating his friends poorly for quite some time."

"I told you before, it was the Grand Masters that invaded Marakia, not my father," she answered, irritated.

"Your father allowed it," he snapped back.

Elizabeth ignored him again, continuing to search the desk for a clue. Nothing at all seemed out-of-place. She crossed to a cabinet against the opposite wall and pulled the doors open. She looked through the shelves, examining the labels on jars and leafing through books, but found absolutely nothing unusual.

Frustrated, she banged the cabinet closed. She swept her eyes one more time over the room and paused. There was a noise coming from somewhere inside the room. Elizabeth listened closely, and heard it again. It was easy to catch it in the deep silence of the room. "Did you hear that?" Lucius asked. The princess looked over at him and held up a hand.

She moved to the wall, going slowly along the length to try to pinpoint its source. When it came again, she hurried to the door leading to a private room on the side.

The prince called to her to stop, but she flung the door open. Inside was empty. No bigger than a closet, it was a room that could be used to secure the king temporarily in an attack. Slowly she stepped inside, reaching out to press her hands against the wall. The noise sounded again, louder this time, and she turned to the left. As she felt along the wall, she noticed that some of the planks of wood were rougher than others.

"Help me," she called. The prince moved in next to her, and together they pulled at the board. Her arms strained as they tried to remove it, but it was nailed tightly. They moved to another board, and this one seemed easier. After giving it another mighty pull, this board started to come loose. Elizabeth tumbled backwards into the prince as it gave way, and they tossed it to the side.

The princess crouched down and peered inside the hole they had made. There was very little light, and as her eyes adjusted, she could make out a figure inside. It turned its head, and Elizabeth gasped. It was her father.

.o0o.

Howzer jogged through the city streets, frustrated. He knew he would never find the princess in the throngs of citizens who were moving together towards the center of the city, trying to escape the Holy Knights fighting at the wall. It sounded to him that the worst of it was over, and he assumed that the Marakians were finished. He only prayed that Elizabeth was not there and among those trying to escape.

He finally gave up and decided to try a new strategy. He made a couple of turns and ended up in front of a small hut stuck in between a row of merchant's buildings. It certainly didn't look like a business; rather, it was more like a pile of bricks that had collapsed on itself. He pushed the crooked door open and stepped inside.

"We're closed! We're closed!" came a shriek. Howzer shut the door behind him and moved further inside. He spied the top of a head ducked behind a bookshelf. "No customers today!"

"Teddy, come out here," he said. "I need your help with something."

A short man with wild hair and a dirty robe peeked out from behind the shelf. "Sir Howzer! It's wonderful you are here! But I'm sorry, I'm closed today—"

"Enough," he said curtly. "I need you to do a Location spell."

"Location spell?" the man squeaked. "I'm very sorry, but I don't—"

Howzer exhaled loudly. "I know you still have some of your power," he said impatiently. "You might not be a Mage anymore, but you can still do some things. I need a Location spell. Now."

Teddy opened his mouth to protest, but the glower that came from the usually easygoing knight made him reconsider. He zipped around the small shop, gathering items and muttering to himself, "Blasted Holy Knights… Goddesses take the whole lot of you…"

He threw a few things into a bowl and then looked up at Howzer. "Who am I locating now?"

"Princess Elizabeth." Teddy looked at him in surprise, but then shrugged and looked back down at the bowl. He said a few words and swirled the contents around. "She's in the city," he concluded.

"I know that," Howzer growled. "Can you be more specific?"

The shorter man sighed loudly and looked again. "The castle. I think." He looked back at Howzer, who raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure." He stole another glance into the bowl. "Try the east wing."

Howzer nodded and turned to leave. "Aren't you going to pay me?" the man called, but the Holy Knight ignored him and stepped back out into the street. He lifted his hand and a moment later, a cyclone rose from his feet. His power brought him to the east entrance of the castle seconds later.

He stole through the door and inside, wondering where the guards were, and nearly ran into King. "You!" the Grizzly Sin exclaimed. Chastiefol instantly appeared as the spear, hovering next to him.

"Hey, now," Howzer said, holding his palms up. "What are you doing here? I thought the Seven Deadly Sins were halfway across Britannia by now."

"None of your business," said King. "Are you one of the knights in the attack?"

Howzer put his hands on his hips. "Of course not," he said indignantly. "I've been trying to find Princess Elizabeth. I'm on Princess Margaret's orders."

King folded his arms. "The princess is here. I rescued her from the Marakians." He narrowed his eyes. "How did she get taken in the first place?"

"She went to—nevermind, it's too long of a story for now. Is she safe?"

"Of course she's safe." King floated closer. "Diane wasn't with her, and I know she would never willingly leave the princess' side. Do you know where she is?"

"Why didn't you say so in the first place? As a matter of fact—" Howzer paused and furrowed his brow. "Wait, why are you still in Liones? Diane said that you Sins had to answer a Summoning spell."

"A Summoning spell? What are you talking about?" King snapped. "There hasn't been a Summoning spell."

"Diane seemed to think so. She's on her way back to the Boar Hat now."

The normally aloof Fairy King suddenly looked panic-stricken. "Oslow!" he shouted, and a moment later, the large black Hound appeared. "Boar Hat, now," King hissed, and Oslow began to open his jaws.

"Wait!" Howzer exclaimed. "Where is Elizabeth?"

"East wing," King said before disappearing inside the mouth of the dog. Olsow promptly disappeared too. "That was strange," Howzer muttered to himself before continuing his search.

.o0o.

King materialized in the main room of the Boar Hat, practically on top of Ban. The Fox Sin yelped in surprised and jerked backwards, almost falling off his stool. "King! Where the hell did you come from?" he shouted angrily.

"Captain!" Ignoring Ban, King whirled on Meliodas. "What's going on? Where's Diane?"

Meliodas gave him a strange look. "Diane's in the capital. Where she's been for weeks," he laughed.

King shook his head. "She's on her way here to answer your Summoning spell."

Now he frowned. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't send one."

The three Sins looked at each other. Meliodas shoved one hand into his pocket, and then his eyes went wide. "What—"

The others did not hear the rest of his question, because Jericho burst into the room at that moment and declared, "I think Diane is heading this way!" King flew outside as Ban jumped to the window and peered out. "That's Diane all right. I can see her hair over the trees." He looked back at Meliodas. "Did you really—Captain, what's wrong?"

Meliodas was frozen, his face a mask of fear. "I lost it," he choked, and then roared, "Merlin! I need you!"

He took off outside, and Ban and Jericho followed. Diane was just running up to the bar, and King was waving her over. "Diane! You're all right!" he shouted. "Were you there in the battle?"

"What battle?" Ban asked. Meliodas strode forward, a furious look on his face. Diane crouched down as she caught her breath. "Captain," she panted, "why did you call for us? What's wrong?"

"I didn't," he said bitterly.

Diane's face was stricken. "But you did! I know you did! It was—"

"A very powerful enchantment," he said, cutting her off. "Where is Elizabeth?"

"I don't know!" she wailed. Diane knelt on the ground, grabbing her hair in distress. Merlin walked up to them as she went on, "Howzer and I were looking for her when you sent the summons. She had gone to warn the Marakians that the king was going to attack. I was helping to round up the Holy Knights so they could vote in a new Grand Master to stop him."

"What the hell is going on in Liones?" Jericho asked.

"Nothing good," Meliodas muttered, turning to Merlin. "I need to get there, now. And not just anywhere in the city. You have to put me where Elizabeth is."

Merlin frowned. "What happened to—"

"I don't know," Meliodas seethed. "Just get me into the capital."

"All right. It'll take me a few minutes to find her location." She snapped her fingers and disappeared. Meliodas turned back to the others. "Follow me there. Once I figure out what is going on, we can decide what to do from there."

"This is not as funny as I had hoped." Ban jumped at Gowther's voice next to him. "Can you all stop doing that?" he shouted. Then he narrowed his eyes at the Goat Sin. "What's not funny?"

"The joke on the Captain," Gowther answered evenly. "I stole his token. You said it would be funny, but I don't think I understand this humor."

Ban's eyes widened. "Uh, Captain? That thing in your pocket, did it have something to do with the princess?"

Meliodas gave him a dark look. "Why?"

"Because I think Freak Boy here stole it."

"You WHAT?" the Captain roared.

Ban sidled away from Gowther as he pulled the coin, now glowing blue, from the pocket on his shirt. He held it out in his palm as he explained, "Ban said it was funny to take—" He did not get a chance to finish, because Meliodas exploded, sending him flying with one punch. The Dragon Sin gritted his teeth, turning away from the others who watched in shock, and in Ban's case, amusement.

Merlin reappeared and Meliodas bit out, "Are you finally ready?"

"I think so. She's moving, which is making this more difficult. But I should get you as close—"

"Just do it." Merlin swiped her hand in the air, and the Captain started to fade. "Follow me," was his last command before winking out of sight.

The remaining Sins looked at each other. "Let's go then," Merlin finally said. "Diane can fill us in on the situation on the way."

.o0o.

"Father?" Elizabeth pressed her face against the boards. "Father!"

The figure slid closer and a voice choked, "Elizabeth? Is that you?"

"Are you hurt?" she reached her fingers inside the opening, and gasped when his hand grazed hers. "What happened to you?"

"Elizabeth, you must go," he whispered. "Go warn the Holy Knights. They are planning terrible things."

"Who, Father?" She tried to yank on the other boards. "I'm not leaving you here. I'm getting you out of here."

Prince Lucius moved in to help, but as they pulled they heard a voice in the study. They both froze and listened. "Have the prisoners moved into cells. Find out what happened to the prince. I want him alive." Lucius and Elizabeth looked at each other in shock. She crept towards the door as the familiar voice continued to give orders. Slowly she opened it and peeked out. There stood her father, the king, in the center of the room.