Chapter 7: The Horn of Cernunnos

Ah, I'm told that some part of every wish will be heard
But lately I've lost sight of the truth in those words
I can't even remember when I gave up believing
What could have been the reason?
Ah, the very moment that the rain will stop
In the place rainbow born and dies
And where the end of this life lies
I've always been insisting there was something that I've longing for

"Interesting situation," Merlin remarked as Ban walked into the common room. He chuckled and took a seat across from her as she took a sip of wine.

"We've been through worse," he answered.

"True," the mage nodded. "The Seven Deadly Sins have faced many vicious creatures and evil beings. But I don't recall having a Captain who was losing his mind."

Ban looked at her sharply. "Is that what you really think?" he snapped. "He's insane?"

Merlin shrugged. He watched her carefully as she took another long sip. "What is it?" she asked without looking at him.

"Since when do you drink?"

Instead of answering, Merlin looked away. The couple had welcomed them into the sitting room of the apartment over their pub while Meliodas went over his pictures with Tobias. The furnishings were simple, the hearth clean, the floors worn. It was the same sitting room in thousands of homes in Britannia. "He's going through those pictures over and over," she said finally. "Don't you think it's a bit obsessive?"

"Wouldn't you?" Stretching out a bit, Ban gave a great yawn.

"I did quit drinking, once," said Merlin. "A while ago."

There was a momentary silence before Ban asked, "Do you really suppose he's crazy? What do you suppose is wrong with him?"

"I had feelings for him," Merlin replied, and Ban raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The way he's been recently… I mean, he was always someone special, but now he's just really nice."

"Wouldn't peg you for the 'nice' type," joked Ban.

Merlin smiled. "Nice, but kind of frantic. It was cute." She took another sip. "Although everything he has told us is strange. In the end though, Captain has met someone. And that someone made him change. And… it's not the first time."

Hours later, they had returned to the Boar Hat. Meliodas said nothing to the others as he climbed the stairs to his room and locked the door. Not bothering to even take off his shoes he dropped his bag on the table and pulled everything out again. First thing he did was flip open the journal; yet it remained as completely blank as it had been.

As he stared at the empty pages, Meliodas slowly sank down, pressing his head against the table with a dull thud. The wood was cool and smooth on his forehead, and for several moments he simply breathed in and out, willing the shaking in his hands and the stuttering in his heart to go away.

"It was all just a dream," he said quietly. "I recognized the landscape because I've been to Liones, years and years ago."

A minute ticked by, then another. Outside, crickets were chirping, signaling the twilight approaching. "Or was she a ghost? Or… did I just make this all up? Just imagined the whole thing?"

Suddenly he sat up and yanked the journal towards him. "What was her name? I… can't remember."

There was a knock at the door, and despite the lock, it clicked open as Merlin popped her head inside. "Ban headed back down to the town for a bit and I'm going to my room. Do you need anything?"

"Merlin…" He frowned as he looked at her. "I realize I've been saying a lot of… strange things. Thank you."

The mage hesitated, and then smiled warmly. Slipping inside, she took a chair at the table, sorting gently through the drawings. Meliodas watched silently, until a click sounded on the table. Merlin picked up whatever it was that had dropped from the pages, and held it up to the light. It was the bead he had found in his pocket, and Merlin looked at it closely. "It's an earring," she said, glancing at him with curiosity.

"Is it?"

"Mm hmm. Where did you find it? It's very pretty."

"Is it? I guess so." Meliodas blinked as he thought. "Someone gave it to me. I've been hanging onto it as kind of a lucky charm." Merlin nodded and kept sifting through the papers, but he only frowned. "Who was it? I can't remember!"

"It's getting late," Merlin said gently. "Maybe after some rest."

Meliodas nodded. "Yeah, I… no. Wait." He huffed a bit, familiar words that felt right rising to his mind. "Someone told me… 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…"

He gasped. "Maybe if I… if I find it…"

Frantically Meliodas grabbed a map, tracing his finger around where Liones once stood. He muttered to himself as he picked up a pen to scratch a note, and Merlin only watched him silently.

He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, his head was on the table. "Meliodas," a voice whispered. "Meliodas!"

He stirred a bit, giving a sigh. "Meliodas!" The voice was more insistent now. "Don't you remember?"

With a shout his eyes opened, and he sat up. Blinking away the sleep, he took one deep breath after another as he looked around for the source of the voice. But no one was there in his room, and finally his eyes fell on the blue bead on the table.

Immediately he was up, grabbing his things as he ran out the door. It was easy enough to find a horse, and Meliodas rode quickly from the town. He stayed on the main road for miles, following the route that Tobias had marked out on his map. "Those drawings you did, of Liones," the chef had murmured sadly as he handed the folded paper back, "they were… really good."

Thunder rolled in the distance as he continued riding. After the town was long out of sight, the trees started to become thicker on the side of the road. He would often catch sight of a deer or a rabbit, the air boasting new birds, insects buzzing as they sought shelter from the upcoming storm.

Meliodas had left late in the morning; by the time the road turned towards Liones, it was nearing the afternoon. However, it was dark, the sun hidden behind the clouds. He spurred the horse onward, but slowed his pace when they turned off the road. The horse picked its way carefully through what would barely pass as a path as they headed to where the castle stood. But Meliodas did not want to head through where the gates once stood; instead, he was searching for the entrance to the tunnels below.

Once the horse was secured, the sky seemed to open up. The rain was thick and cold as it poured, and Meliodas drew up his hood before taking off in a sprint towards what he imagined was the main courtyard. Trying to see through the sheet of water falling, he stopped to think. Was it right, or left? It was hard to picture with the pelting rain, growing more anxious when lightning flashed on the horizon. He did not want to be caught in this storm with all these trees around, and no shelter.

"We are all connected," he said out loud. Closing his eyes, he tried his best to pull the memory of Liones up from underneath wherever dreams go when they fade. "From the farmers to the soldiers, the old to the young, the poorest beggar to the king himself." Another crash of thunder sounded, and Meliodas clenched his fists. "Even a bartender and a princess could be connected."

There. He remembered where to walk, and when he opened his eyes found two wooden stubs on the ground. Could this be the remainder of the doorway? He puffed out a breath, the air now so cold from the rain it emerged as a white cloud that dissipated seconds later. Meliodas stepped between them, pulling his hood back a bit, as his eyes traveled along old, rotting boards on the ground, the remnants of a wood floor.

He followed the boards, his eyes on the ground. Suddenly he felt like he was falling, hopping from one foot to the other. But he hadn't tripped on anything, not that he could tell, so carried on until he came to a pile of rubble. That shouldn't be there, he thought, and immediately went to work pulling up the rock and debris now soaked from the rain. After several moments, his face was hot and his arms were shaking; but it was worth it in the end, because there, in the ground, was a staircase.

"It's really there," he whispered to himself. "It wasn't a dream." There was heat on his face then, and when he raised a cold hand to press against his cheek, he realized a few tears had slipped down.

With determination, he began the descent. Once under the ground, the light began to fade rapidly, but his eyes could see easily in the dark. The air was humid and stale as he walked, his soaked boots making a splat sound that echoed just a bit in the tunnel. On and on it went, and the utter silence would have been unnerving if Meliodas was not so focused. There was a muted roaring sound as the air moved upwards towards the opening. It was all so familiar, even though he knew he had never been here before.

At the bottom of the steps he paused. "What lies ahead is the netherworld," he whispered to himself. "This is where the goddesses live." He shivered, remembering the goddess he had known thousands of years ago. What if there really was one existing in a seal beneath Liones? What would one do if they found him here?

His footsteps were loud in the stone chamber. Slowly Meliodas walked through the opening. There the horn still stood, as large and overwhelming as the first time he had been there, in Elizabeth's body. No light came from the horn, however; there was only a very faint glow from a few cracks in the ceiling of the chamber where a bit of the light from outside passed through.

"It's still here," he said in wonder. Meliodas approached the horn cautiously. Whatever goddess had been inside—if it even was a goddess—was long gone by now, judging by the cold stillness. Somewhere inside of him, underneath the excitement and relief of finding this place, he felt some disappointment. If there was ever a place to give him some answers, it should have been here. Yet the Horn of Cernunnos was just as empty as the rest of Liones Castle.

His eyes dragged over the twisted shape, downwards, until it landed on the floor. There, at the base, were three folded slips of paper. His eyes widened as he stepped closer. "These are from the princesses!" he exclaimed. Crouching down, he examined them. "That would be Margaret's, and Veronica's, and here… here is Elizabeth's."

Gently, reverently, he picked up the paper. "This was before the attack. So when I was here, when I wrote this, it was also three years in the past." He traced a finger along the edge of the parchment. "Our times got… mixed up somehow."

Meliodas sat on the ground, crossing his legs to tuck under himself. "This is Elizabeth's heart's desire, that she left with the goddess to be able to return. But—it was me, I left this here. I left this here three years ago."

Slowly he opened the parchment. It was difficult to see, but as he raised it up to his eyes, he could make out his stilted handwriting: If this is real, and Elizabeth and I are a part of one another, then please give me a chance.

Meliodas spoke the words out loud, his voice carrying through the chamber. Immediately his eyes shot up at the end of the prayer, waiting for something to happen, a light or a sign or a voice in return. But the horn was silent, the room empty, and after several moments, he knew it was impossible. With a sigh he hung his head, letting out the breath he had been holding.

He took a moment, however, to think about Elizabeth. He closed his eyes and remembered her bright smile and shining eyes when he looked in the mirror. He thought of the teasing from her sisters and the laughter of her friends, the hard look from her father and the nod of her tutor. But Elizabeth was more than that. Meliodas smiled to himself remembering the advice she left about Merlin, the teasing instructions, the genuine care she had for Ban and Hawk. She would leave him reminders about both of their lives and share anecdotes about the times during their switches. Somehow the girl he never met, who had died three years ago, was a part of him. Elizabeth had become someone he had cared about.

She had had a life, a full life of people and things and memories, and it was all gone. All that was left of her were the notes she had made in his book—and even those were now just his own memory.

Suddenly he wanted to leave this place, and get back to the Boar Hat and not think about Liones or Elizabeth anymore. Quickly he stood, dropping the paper on the ground; but when he turned to leave, he slipped, his foot catching on the paper he had dropped. Falling backwards, he gave a yelp; and as he hit the ground, his eyes fell on the Horn of Cernunnos, which was now glowing from the inside.

There was only light, a faded purple, and Meliodas was consumed by it. He was falling

falling falling falling

until he realized he was flying.

Lights blurred around him, like sparklers. It was the comet, he was riding on it, it was becoming it, and Meliodas thought, now I will see Elizabeth again.

The rain outside picked up speed, the sounds of the splattered drops echoing until it was one all-consuming noise. The rushing wind and the roaring water carried him through the sky.

Then he saw, not Elizabeth, but Britannia. It was his own memory that began to unravel, and all he could do was observe, wide-eyed as

—white wings, blue eyes in fear, then love

A flirtatious smile squeezed his heart, and the demon could not breathe. "Well, what do you think?" she asked, her brows lifting just a bit, and he knew in that moment—

her voice, calling for him, crying out…

She was in pain, and he had to help her, but he was in too much of his own to—

he found her, she was there but not the same, how could she be here again?

"Meliodas! The curse! Do you remember the curse?"

years and girls and memories, love, tears, so many many years…

"You're going to stop looking for her? Are you sure you can?"

—yes, he was sure, he would do this, it was the best, until she—

A cry, jolting him from the black roar. Meliodas looks down and sees a baby, and knows it has happened again, before he had even realized it.

He gasps and looks up; the king and queen of Liones sit on their thrones, people admiring the new princess as they gather around for a peek. Two young girls with lavender hair step up, and the king smiles. "You are all my treasures," he says.

a bed, with something on it, covered in a sheet—

The king shuts the door, and Meliodas can feel his cheeks are wet.

"Father?" a tiny voice asks. "Where is Mother?"

He is angry, shouting at the Holy Knights around the table. "Why has the creature not been found!" he screams. "Someone had to have let it into the castle!"

"Get a hold of yourself." It is Hendrickson, and Meliodas recognizes him immediately as the one who had taken them to the horn. "The goddesses—"

"Who cares about the goddesses!" he roars. "I cared only for Anna! The rest of Liones can rot!"

The other knights look at one another as the king sweeps from the room. Meliodas can see the small smile that forms on Hendrickson's face.

Margaret is giving Elizabeth a gift—

She opens the little box to find a blue earring inside. "This represents our kingdom, and the blessings of the goddesses," the older girl explains.

Meliodas shakes his head. Do they not understand?

"Who am I? Who are you!?"

He is standing next to Elizabeth now, who is furiously writing in a notebook. "I can't believe him!" she exclaims, and looks up at the mirror. "What is wrong with you!"

He follows her gaze, but it is his own reflection that looks back at him.

those eyes, he recognizes them, again and again and

She tucks her hair behind her ear, opening the little box and slipping on the earring. "Must be nice. They've probably met up by now." There are tears rolling down her cheeks, and she gasps. "Why am I crying?"

"Elizabeth? Do you know who I am?"

Elizabeth is heading out of the castle, wrapping a cloak around her shoulders. "Where are you going?" Veronica calls from somewhere.

"I'm going to Dalmary," she answers.

Dalmary? Meliodas cries out in surprise. But that's where—

"Meliodas! Don't you remember?"

"Can you do me a favor?" Elizabeth smiles sadly at the servant laying out clothes. She holds up a pair of scissors.

"Yes, the comet. That's tonight, isn't it?"

"Elizabeth!" Meliodas is shouting, his voice filling the space where the memories roll like the storm outside. "You can't go there. Don't go there! You have to get out of the castle before the comet arrives!"

"Who are you?"

He turns, and the sky is bright with the blue and gold streaks of the comet. Elizabeth watches with eyes wide, and there is cheering all around. But soon it is clear that the cheers are screams, and the glowing increases as fire begins to cover the castle.

"Elizabeth! Get out of there!"

The roar of the fire is loud, louder than he ever imagined, louder than he remembers purgatory fire being—

white wings, blue eyes

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!"

the doors to Purgatory opens, and a fire escapes, the heat searing as it—

"Elizabeth!"

"Who am I? Who are you?!"

"ELIZABETH!"

Meliodas is covered in the flames, and the screams of the others drown out all thought—

Then he opened his eyes, and saw the ceiling of the bedroom in the castle.

Meliodas sat up with a gasp. His breathing came in short, uneven bursts, his heart beating so hard and fast he thought for sure he would be able to see it through his chest. But as he looked down, he realized it was not his own chest, but hers, the hard muscle replaced by two lovely breasts that made him cry out in happiness.

"Elizabeth," he whispered. "She's alive."