Chapter 4: A Precious Wish
Ah, if only our voices speaking at night
Could ever reach the very edge of this world, and of time
Instead of fading into air and dust
Then what will the words, could it ever be
Farthest words from "probably"
Let's make a promise that will never fade
Let's say it together on the count of three
As the three walked together through the castle, there was plenty of excited chatter filling the corridors. "What's going on?" Meliodas asked, looking around.
"Haven't you heard?" Veronica said in surprise, elbowing him a bit. "There is a comet that is coming. A star has been moving across the sky, but instead of going over it's getting closer."
"A comet?" Meliodas frowned. He hadn't heard anything about that at all.
Margaret linked an arm through hers. "No need to worry," she assured him. "The Grand Masters have the top mages keeping tabs on it. We'll be able to see it up close in a couple of days. A once-in-a-lifetime event."
Meliodas nodded, for once keeping his opinion to himself. There had been plenty of superstitions regarding comets over the past few hundred years, some saying they bring luck, others disaster. There had been another not long ago, maybe, but the years all blurred together. The excitement regarding this one, however, was undeniable.
After walking down the main staircase, the princesses were greeted by a tall man with narrow eyes and a cold smile. Immediately Meliodas' warning bells went off in alarm. He knew this face, somehow, deciding he must have come across this person in the weeks he had been switching with Elizabeth. The rest of the hall was filled with dignitaries, knights, and noblemen, who all gave respectful bows to the princesses as they reached the bottom of the stairs. But when Margaret gave him a curtsey, followed by the other two after another elbow from Veronica, Meliodas understood why he was familiar.
"Grand Master Hendrickson," Margaret said in greeting. "Thank you for accompanying us."
"It is my pleasure," the knight responded, his eyes sweeping over the three sisters. "Any chance to make an offering to the goddesses that watch over us is time well spent."
He offered an arm to the first princess, and she politely accepted. They walked in a procession of sorts, heading through a parted crowd towards an unfamiliar doorway. There were markings on the wooden frame, and the sun and crescent moon carved into the door itself. "Where are we going?" he whispered to Veronica, but the other girl just gave him a signal to be quiet.
Once they reached the door, he paused and said to the room, "The princesses will now give their thanks for the blessings of the goddesses. As a representative of the Druid race, who lives to serve our guardians, I will accompany them to the sacred place. Let us all now give thanks and prayers to our goddesses."
There was applause and polite cheers, along with calls of thanks and good wishes. Hendrickson smiled to the crowd, and after giving a little wave, led them through the doorway.
Meliodas had braced himself for something… but what he did not expect was an empty hallway. He huffed a bit in a mixture of relief and disappointment, following the Holy Knight dutifully, their feet tapping on the stone the only sound. As they walked he thought about this one leading them, who called himself a Druid. Meliodas was more than familiar with that race of humans, whose ties to the goddesses were sometimes helpful and sometimes not. It had been many years since he had encountered one, many of them living in secret among the kingdoms.
This one in particular was a bit familiar. The name, at least, he had heard before; but was that his memory, or was it something from being Elizabeth? He tried his best to remember, but it was difficult when he was in Elizabeth's body to remember his own life all that clearly. Furthermore, he had lived so very much life up until this point, many things were mixed-up or blended together on their own.
If he was a knight that Meliodas had once knew, he supposed he couldn't have been that bad, if he was alive and a Grand Master. The initial warning he had felt inside of his mind seemed to be fading, and again he wondered if it was a product of himself or Elizabeth. He would have to remember to write some questions for the princess about this one, so he could figure out this part of the mystery at least.
"Sir Hendrickson," Veronica suddenly asked, "why is the horn of the goddesses kept so far away from the surface?"
Horn? Meliodas wondered, but Hendrickson simply answered, "I don't really know."
"What horn?" he asked Veronica quietly, and the girl looked at him in surprise. "What? Everyone knows the Horn of Cernunnos."
Margaret looked over her head to shush them, when suddenly she lost her footing. "Look out!" Meliodas yelped, moving with lightning speed to catch her from falling. But Hendrickson grabbed her easily, giving him a strange look as he righted the princess. "There we are," he said, the cold look he had sent Meliodas' way replaced by a smooth smile at Margaret. "Must be careful down here."
They resumed their walk in silence, and Meliodas felt hot and uncomfortable. He needed to be more careful, and act more like Elizabeth. From what he understood of his counterpart in this, Elizabeth was a bit clumsy, and the one most likely to stumble down here herself. But the speed and skill he had just shown off reaching out for Margaret was enough to catch the eye of the Grand Master, he was sure, and silently cursed himself.
He busied himself looking at his surroundings as they walked, trying to get a clue to exactly where Elizabeth lived. The walls were nondescript for the most part; this could be almost any castle in Britannia. He huffed a bit in frustration, until they came to a staircase. Then down, down, down they went, one set of stairs after another, sometimes walking down hallways that were cut into the rock and the earth themselves.
It was dark, but Hendrickson was able to create a soft glowing orb that lit their way easily. At one point, the steps became so narrow that they had to walk single-file, Hendrickson at the lead. No one spoke as they made their descent, adding to the air of mystery and importance of this journey under the castle.
They reached a landing, then another archway, which took them through a tunnel that sloped downwards. At least it's not more stairs, Meliodas thought to himself, as they continued to walk.
"Elizabeth," Hendrickson said suddenly, his voice echoing and making him jump to attention. "Do you know anything about the Horn of Cernunnos?"
"The Horn of Cernunnos?" he echoed in surprise.
Hendrickson did not turn back as he spoke, but his voice easily reached them all in the quiet. "It's what we use to communicate with the goddesses. It is a piece of one of the rulers of the clan, who had two great horns on the top of his head."
Meliodas frowned. He had never heard of a goddess with horns before. "Cernunnos is the goddess of life, of abundance, and of fertility. He gifts Liones with many bounties as the goddess of both humans and animals. But to be the goddess of life, she must also be the goddess of death."
"The goddess of death?" Veronica whispered, her voice uncharacteristically shaking.
"The generations of our people are a gift from the goddesses. When we connect to one another, and create life, it is a gift. The animals we use for food and work are a gift. They cannot live without us, and we cannot live without them. The flow of time itself is a gift as well. We move forward, never backwards. This is all a part of the goddess' power, and why we must give our praises and thanks."
"That is why we wear the symbol of our goddess, the sun and crescent moon," Margaret continued, looking over her shoulder. For the first time, Meliodas noticed she was wearing one blue earring, as she slid a finger over the bead. "We are all connected, from the farmers to the soldiers, the old to the young, the poorest beggar to the king himself. The sun and moon cannot live without one another. We are all a part of Cernunnos."
As if in reflex, Meliodas reached up and felt his own ear is empty. "It's okay, Elizabeth," Margaret laughed. "Even when you forget your earring, you are still blessed. Whether it is food, or drink, or the symbols we wear, whatever we have becomes part of our soul. It is one more way we are connected."
"That's why we make this journey," Hendrickson finished. "If Cernunnos was to abandon us, then we would lose our hold on time itself."
Their walk continued as they reached another set of stairs, this one more ancient than any of the others. The climb down was slow as they all fell back into silence, but Meliodas' mind was whirling. This is the first he had heard about this goddess, and he thought he had known quite a bit about this race. If the goddesses had been sealed away when the demons were, then how did they know all this? Was it just human superstition? Or was there really a goddess at the bottom of these stairs, controlling Britannia in his web?
And if Cernunnos did exist, did it have anything to do with what was happening to him and Elizabeth?
"Is this it?" Veronica asked when they hit the bottom.
Hendrickson did not answer, but simply led the way into the next chamber, where a faint violet-colored glow was coming from around the corner. Meliodas followed slowly, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of what lay beyond. A huge twisted horn, just as Hendrickson had described, hung suspended in a chamber that was at least a hundred feet high, and as wide as the entire castle. No wonder they had to travel down so far to the entrance; the top of the chamber was probably only a few feet under the floor of the castle. It was covered in a warm glow, seemingly lit from everywhere and nowhere. Nothing else stood in the empty, dark room.
"This is it," he whispered. "The sacred relic of the Horn of Cernunnos."
The princesses stood together at the entrance. "When you enter this chamber," Hendrickson warned, "you are passing from our world to that of the goddesses. It's the netherworld. In order to return to our own, you must leave behind what is most important to you."
"What do you mean?" Meliodas demanded.
Hendrickson smiled, his face partially lit from the glow. "No need to be alarmed, Your Highness. The goddess will take your most precious wish. After all, it is a part of you."
From inside his pocket he pulled out three scrolls with three lumps of lead. "Write your true wish, and leave it at the base of the relic."
Elizabeth's most precious wish, he thought, looking down at the empty scroll.
Margaret went first, followed by Veronica. Quickly Meliodas scribbled onto the parchment, and then entered the chamber. The horn seemed to grow a bit brighter as he approached, but he told himself it was only his imagination. Not wanting to stay a moment longer than he had to, he placed the rolled-up scroll at the base of the horn next to the other two and hurried back outside of the room where the others are waiting.
"There we are," Hendrickson smiled. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"
Meliodas shook his head, despite the uneasy feeling inside of his stomach. The way the Grand Master was looking at him also made him uneasy, and he turned away, busying himself with studying the carvings on the wall of the chamber. "Now we have to climb back up," Veronica groaned. "It's probably already almost night. By the time we get back we might miss the comet."
"The comet?" he echoed, remembering the conversations from earlier.
"Elizabeth," Hendrickson said, and he looked up at the Holy Knight. "You're dreaming right now, aren't you?"
Meliodas gasped, and sat up in bed.
For several moments he sat there, unmoving, staring at his dresser and the door that would lead him into the hallway, which led to the stairs, which in turn led to the main room of the Boar Hat. He struggled to catch his breath, the heavy feeling from his dream fading rapidly even as his heart continued to pound.
To his surprise, his cheeks felt wet and his vision blurred. Tears were rolling down his face, and he blinked for a moment to clear his eyes. He raised a hand and brushed at the wetness, looking down at his fingers in confusion. "I'm crying?" he wondered aloud. "But why?"
A paper was sticking out from underneath his door, and Meliodas climbed out of bed and padded over to pick it up. It was in Merlin's handwriting, and to his disbelief he read:
I have an errand to run, so I will meet you in the village instead of here. Ten o'clock.
"What?" he looked out the window and saw it had to be nearly that time; another glance at the old clock on the wall confirmed it was half past nine.
Meliodas looked around in confusion and spotted the papers on the table. He hurried to pick up the top, seeing Elizabeth's familiar script as she described the day before during their switch. His eyes widened as he read, when finally it ended with: Took the initiative for you and asked Merlin to go on a date to the village. There is a fair going on, so buy her something she likes, and take her somewhere for lunch!
"Date!" he exclaimed.
Less than five minutes later, he was dressed and running down the steps, not bothering to answer the calls from Ban and Hawk as he dashed through the main room. The bell above the door jingled as he left, trotting down the path that connected to the road to the village.
"Elizabeth, what did you do?" he muttered under his breath. It was a beautiful morning, with a clear blue sky and plenty of birds singing happily. When he reached the road, it was surprisingly busy, as carts and horses and people streamed into the village. He easily weaved in and out of the crowd, having no idea where to start looking for their meeting place. As he passed the entrance to the town, he checked the sign and read: Bernia.
"We're in Bernia already? How much did I miss?" He shook his head, filled with the cobwebs of yesterday in the palace, remembering something about steps and a wish. People were everywhere now, dozens and dozens of stands popping up all over, the stores and cafes and bars with doors open. For a moment he grumbled, thinking to go back and move the Boar Hat closer so they could cash in on the day. That's what he would have done to learn there was a festival in the next town, not ask Merlin out on a damn date.
When he reached the center of town, there was no sign of the mage, so he took a second to catch his breath. A clock at the top of a church signaled it was exactly ten o'clock. In the middle of the town center stood a fountain; Meliodas wandered over towards it, looking side to side through the crowds for any sign of Merlin.
"Hey there, Captain," a voice said in his ear, causing him to jump.
He spun, huffing out a startled laugh. "Hey, Merlin!"
She smiled in her mysterious way at him. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Yeah. I mean…" He ran a nervous hand through his hair, internally growling at Elizabeth. Merlin stood staring at him, her hands folded and her lips turned up, and he swallowed thickly. "No, I just got here."
"Thank goodness. Let's go."
Merlin grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the first line of stands, and for a moment Meliodas could only follow in shock. But then he caught himself and tugged on her hand. She stopped and looked back at him, her brows raising a bit in surprise. "Merlin," he said, stammering a bit, "I'm sorry, but—it wasn't me who did this—I mean, not that this isn't—what I'm trying to say is—"
The mage laughed, shaking her head. "I know that, Captain. It was Elizabeth who arranged today. I can tell the difference between her flirting and yours." Meliodas choked at that, his cheeks burning, as she let go of his hand. "I didn't want her to be disappointed, in case she was the one to wake up here today. But we're here now, and there are a lot of things to see. So why don't we just have some fun, for her sake?"
"Yes, that sounds great," he breathed with a sigh of relief.
Their first stop was the church, which had opened its doors to allow visitors to climb into the clock tower. Merlin eagerly pointed out the towns they could see all the way at the top, even launching into the way the building was constructed and how the giant clock worked.
Meliodas, however, just took in the sight of Britannia, which seemed to stretch on forever. When was the last time he did just this, just take some time, and enjoy the beauty of the world? Or even the company of someone else? His thoughts went briefly to Elizabeth, trying to see things through her eyes. He had travelled all over for three thousand years, seeing every part of the world. But had he ever really looked? He imagined that Elizabeth would be awed, if she were there instead of him, and it made him even more curious about the girl he knew so much about, and yet almost nothing at all.
Next they went to find some lunch. They ended up going to a café Elizabeth frequented, which Meliodas learned when the waitress came hurrying over. "Sir, you're back again! And with a lovely young lady I see!" She beamed as she handed them menus. "I'll have your usual coffee ready, but I'll be right back to hear the rest of what you want!"
"This is nice. It's my first time here." He gaped a bit at Merlin, who was chuckling a bit. "Is this one of your regular spots?"
"No!" exclaimed Meliodas, waving his hand around. "It's too expensive."
Her eyebrow arched a bit at that, and with an embarrassed flush he busied himself in the menu.
After lunch, they headed back into the streets. There were stalls of fabrics, produce, jewelry, livestock, and more kinds of ale than he had ever imagined. Meliodas rubbed his hands together eagerly to dig in, but since Merlin was more interested in the antiques and baubles, he was only able to hit a couple of the stands he wanted. As he stood next to the mage who discussed the herbs on display in one booth, he looked longingly down the stone street a bit at another that had ten different types of samples from their brewery. Ten!
He looked back at Merlin, who was tasting something that looked to him like dead weeds, and sighed. I don't know how to talk to her, he thought sadly. They had been friends for years and years, and he realized he didn't know that much about her at all.
Meliodas stuffed his hands in his pockets, when he felt something brush his fingers. They closed around a piece of paper, which he pulled out and opened. Somehow, he was not surprised to see Elizabeth's handwriting on it.
If you are finding this, then I suppose we are back in our normal places. I was really looking forward to today, so if it just so happens that you are there instead of me, you better enjoy it!
At any rate, you probably are having a hard time on your date—have you ever even been on a single one? That's why I've written some reminders below to help you out:
Don't talk about alcohol, it's boring.
Give her compliments, and lots of them.
Remember to smile. But not in a weird way.
Please tell me you brushed your hair.
"She's making fun of me," he growled, crumpling up the paper in his fist.
"What was that?" Merlin asked, looking over at him.
Meliodas shook his head, and together they continued walking. Down another street, artists had hung up drawings and paintings for sale, and Merlin gave a little noise of delight as she moved towards them. Meliodas followed behind, taking his time looking through the artwork. Just one more thing he had never really done, he realized as his eyes moved over the figures and still-lifes and landscapes.
One artist sat on the ground, his ink drawings lined up on the ground beside him. Meliodas followed Merlin as she walked slowly, looking at each one, when one in particular caught his eye. Stopping to crouch down and take a closer look, he gave a little gasp. It was familiar, so incredibly familiar, the drawing of a city he had never seen except in a dream somewhere. At the center was a castle, with a large wall and the main section going up impossibly high in the air, towering over all. Flags flew from the turrets, with the crest of a sun and crescent moon.
He could not drag his eyes away, until the next one caught his eye. Next to the drawing of the castle that seemed to grip his heart into a vise, was another, but this time of the inside of the tower. There was a courtyard with a familiar arch, one that he realized he had drawn himself and stashed into his drawer with all the others. He felt his palms break out into a sweat as his vision swam with hovering tears.
Merlin crouched down next to him, peering at the picture that had him enraptured. "You know something, Captain," she said quietly. He glanced over at her, finding her expression serious. "Even though it's you today, you still seem like a different person." With that cryptic message she stood and continued walking, and he turned to stare at the picture again.
The sun was going down, and together they circled back to the center of town. "Merlin, are you getting hungry? We can get dinner."
"Let's call it a day," she answered.
She continued walking, but Meliodas paused. "A-all right," he stammered out. He felt foolish for asking—this wasn't even a date!—but also, somehow, worried about what Elizabeth would say.
Merlin noticed he had stopped, and turned to give him a smile. "Correct me if I'm wrong," she murmured. "And I'm sorry if I am. But you've never, not even once, had feelings for me, have you? Not even a little?"
"Uhh—" This was not what he expected! "No, it's not that—"
"But right now, I have a feeling you do, just for someone else."
His mouth dropped open a bit, and then he rubbed his hand on his face. "No. There's no one, really." She just stared at him waiting, and Meliodas scratched his ear. "Really, it's not like that."
"Are you sure about that?" she teased, leaning in to look at him closely.
He stammered a bit more, but she took pity on him and chuckled. "All right then. Thanks for today. I'll see you back at the Boar Hat."
She walked away, in the opposite direction, and Meliodas watched her go, his heart still racing.