Apologies for the extended absence. The sunlight peeked through the curtains and lured me outside. ;) Welcome to all those that favorited/ followed this story while I was busy chasing away my winter pale.

There was also a significant delay because I managed to initially write this entire chapter in the wrong tense so it took longer to edit and fix that than it did to write. I'm hoping it's all right but at this point, I've read it so many times it's time to post and move on.

Thank you for reviewing:
Guesty
The Sassy Syleon
Cerulean Grace
Captain Twiggy 0918
Does anyone want a cookie

Enjoy :)

Chapter 5: Monster

"Where did she go?" Meliodas asked out loud, wandering down one of the wide hallways of the main castle.

He looked under the tablecloth of one of the small tables that lined the hall. Nope.

He checked behind a door. Nope.

He checked in a small space between two pillars. Nope.

He checked behind a curtain. Nope.

He checked behind a large ornate vase. Nope.

He checked under another table. Nope.

"The Princess sure has found a good hiding spot." he called pleasantly, making sure his voice would carry...and he waited….

A muffled giggle echoed off the walls. Works every time. Meliodas grinned, casually walking down the hall in the direction the giggle had come from.

"I don't think I'll ever find her." He called when he reached a corner, "I'll have to send for help."

The giggle was louder this time and was accompanied by the movement of a curtain halfway down the next corridor.

"I hope some of my fellow Knights have time to help me look, or the Princess might be lost forever." Meliodas spotted her feet just visible below the heavy fabric of the curtain.

"You're not a knight." She protested from her hiding spot and he saw the curtain move. He'd have to figure out how to prove to her that he was actually a holy knight. It had been months and she still insisted that he wasn't. But, for right now he had a princess to 'find'.

"If I wasn't a holy knight" he walked softly up to where she was hiding, "do you think I'd be able to" he grabbed the material, "Find you here!" and he whipped back the curtain revealing Elizabeth. The little girl gasped, and with a squeak, she took off down the hall laughing.

He chased after her allowing her to remain just out of his reach. But close enough that when she looked back she would shriek and run faster. Lately, he'd gotten in the habit of allowing their games to go on as long as possible. A young woman, who had been one of the maids, was currently receiving training to take over as Elizabeth's nanny. Days like this were numbered.

Elizabeth disappeared around a corner just ahead of him and he heard her cry out and collide with something and he skidded around the corner to find her on top of Little Gil.

"Princess Elizabeth are you alright." Little Gil asked her from his pinned position, "Here I'll help you up." The boy tried to move out from underneath her. But Elizabeth was oblivious to the boy's struggles as she didn't even attempt to get off him, innocently answering his question.

"Yeah I'm fine" she replied.

Meliodas took mercy on his pupil and hooked Elizabeth under the arms lifting her up and setting her on her feet.

He reached down to help the boy next but Elizabeth beat him to the outstretched hand and by putting all her weight into it, she pulled Little Gil to his feet. The poor boy flushed crimson. Meliodas stifled a laugh. Whether he was embarrassed by being helped up by a princess when he meant to be a knight or if it was because Elizabeth was five years younger than him, Meliodas didn't know.

"Sir Meliodas!" Little Gil addressed him, snapping to attention.

"What's up Little Gil?" Meliodas asked distracted as he watched Elizabeth examine one of her elbows, it looked a little red but she dismissed it quickly enough so he did too.

"My father has requested, you go see him in the meeting room on the main floor." The boy reported.

That got Meliodas' attention. "Did something happen?"

"I don't know" Little Gil shook his head, "We were training and a messenger came. And Father told me to come find you and to escort Princess Elizabeth back to her room."

"Looks like we will have to finish our game another day," Meliodas smiled down at the little girl.

Her lower lip jutted out in an impressive pout. "But...It was going to be your turn to hide next. I wanted to find you!"

He smiled at her and patted her on the head. "Next time, I'll hide first. Ok?"

"Tomorrow?" she asked.

"Maybe." he shrugged.

"Maybe means no," She grumbled.

When did she get so smart, but then again she was almost five years old now. He knelt down so that he was at her height. "Friday. Like always."

She nodded, grinning.

"Now go with Little Gil, straight to your room, no detours, alright?" he winked at her.

"Alright." She beamed up at him.

"Promise?" he pressed, offering her his little finger like she had to him months ago at the base of the tree.

"I promise." She hooked her finger with his and gave it a firm shake.

"Good" he patted her on her head. "See you Friday" Turning his attention to little Gil he addressed the boy, with the wooden training sword tucked at his hip "Stay with her, don't leave her alone."

"Yes Sir Meliodas!" the boy bowed, hand on the handle of his wooden training sword. Meliodas didn't even try to hide his amused grin.

Elizabeth sat on her bed flipping through a picture book, bored. Gil was out on her balcony watching the knights move around the courtyard below. He said he could tell something was going on.

There was a knock at her door and she looked over at Gil. He hadn't seemed to hear it. In fact, he was very focussed on what was going on in the courtyard, leaning way over the railing.

"Who's there?" she called, scooting to the end of her bed.

"It's Meliodas." his muffled voice called.

"OH!" Elizabeth jumped off the bed and ran across the room to the door. He'd come back maybe whatever was happening it was alright for him to keep playing with her. She threw open the door, "Did you come back to-"

Elizabeth froze, her stomach dropped, and all the hair stood up on the back of her neck because THAT was NOT Mel. That was a silver and red monster with horns and beady eyes and a hump on its head.

"Surprise told you I was-"

She screamed and slammed the door. She spun on her heels her eyes darting around the room, she had to get away. Elizabeth ran for the balcony crashing into Gil as he rushed inside.

"WHAT IS IT!" Gil asked, steadying her with his hands on her shoulders.

She pointed at the door with a shaky hand. "M-monster." she squeaked.

Gil looked from her to the door, and back again. "Go hide," Gil said, pointing to her bed and drawing his wooden sword. He stepped between her and the door. "Don't worry, I'll protect you." She was pretty sure his voice was shaking, but she did what he said, diving under her bed, and wiggling her way under the head of the bed. She curled into a ball, making herself as small as possible. Pressing her back against the wall, her shoulders filled the space between the bottom of the mattress and the floor.

Beneath the edge of the bed skirt, she could just see the bottom of Gil's feet as he slowly walked towards the door. There was another knock. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears. Her own hammering heartbeat and the occasional quiet sob drowned out any outside noise.

She wished she had made Gill hide with her or made him escape her room. She wished that she hadn't answered her door. She wished she was still with Mel when the monster came.

She stayed like that for what felt like forever. Until, she felt the vibration of something hitting the floor. Then it happened again, and again. Her sobs were silenced by her throat closing up with fear. In the darkness of her closed eyes and the silence of her covered ears she thought of all the horrible things that could be happening to Gil.

Elizabeth heard muffled voices just before something touched her hand. She flinched, her eyes snapping open. The sight of Mel and Gil both stretched out underneath the bed greeted her. Gil frowned at her looking concerned. Mel, who was the one who had touched her hand, was smiling as if she hadn't just had a monster at her bedroom door.

Her eyes looked back and forth between them. "What are you doing here?" she sniffled.

"You wouldn't come out so we came to get you," Mel grinned.

"What about the monster?" she asked her eyes looking around the curtained edges of the bed.

"... yeah... about that." Mel tried to scratch the back of his head but his hand hit the bottom of her mattress.

"That's Sir Meliodas' armor," Gil explained.

"Mel's...armor?" she asked, turning wide confused eyes in Gil's direction.

"Yeah, because he's a Holy Knight," Gil stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Really?" Elizabeth looked at Mel questioningly.

He blinked at her, his face blank, "yeah...really."

"Oh. I thought you were joking," she whispered, feeling her face flush.

Before Mel could say anything, Gil burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he soon began to cry. Every time his laughter would stop he'd look at them and start laughing again.

"Gil...it's not that funny!" Elizabeth protested.

"You're reminding me of your dad right now," Mel commented.

That put a damper on Gil's laughter if only a little, but he was still snorting and laughing as he backed his way out from under the bed.

Mel turned to look at her, "Ready to come out?"

She nodded, wiping at her face. The tears were dry but the skin of her cheeks felt tight when she smiled at him. Meliodas grinned back and tried to back out from under the bed like Gil had. He didn't make it far before the handle of the sword, that is always on his back, caught on one of the wooden supports for the mattress. Elizabeth watched as he tried to move forward only succeeding in poking a hole in the mattress lining with the sharp horns on the grinning dragons head. A few more attempts at freeing himself and the head of the dragon was caught fully inside the hole. Elizabeth watched silently while Meliodas tried to move forward and back but it didn't work to free the sword from the mattress. He tried to turn over to reach for it, but there wasn't enough space under the bed for him to do that. He couldn't even reach the buckle to undo the strap that held it to his back.

With a sigh, Meliodas dropped his forehead to the floor and took a deep breath letting out a chuckle on the exhale.

"You're stuck," Elizabeth stated.

"Yup" he sighed again. "I am not looking forward to explaining how I broke your bed," he said, bracing his palms against the floor and pressing his shoulders up against the wooden support for the mattress.

Elizabeth heard a crack from her bed frame as it bent where MEluiodas pressed against it. "Wait!" She called, pausing him. Crawling forward on her stomach and elbows she reached through the narrow space between the back of his head and the bottom of the mattress. All the hairs on her arm stood up when she touched the green handle and she felt him tense.

"...careful...it's sharp." Mel said it kind of funny, but she couldn't be sure as his voice was muffled from his face being pressed to the floor, giving her enough room to work. It didn't take long for her to free the handle from the mattress.

"There you go," Elizabeth smiled at him.

"Thanks!" he grinned at her. This time, when he backed out from under the bed he was sure to keep lower.

She followed and soon the three of them were sitting cross-legged on the floor at the side of the bed. In front of the pile of Mel's discarded armor.

Gil examined Mel's helmet, pressing his finger into the end of one of the pointed horns. Elizabeth had both his armored gloves on, they were far too big but it was fun wiggling her fingers inside. The knights of the castle didn't wear armor like this.

The chest plate caught her eye next and she discarded the gloves. Pulling it onto her lap, Elizabeth examined the chest plate tracing her fingers over the odd symbol on it, three bent lines connected in the center. It wasn't a symbol of Liones, she couldn't remember ever seeing it before but it felt familiar.

"Oh yeah!" Mel's voice startled her from her thoughts. "I have to go away for a few days for work."

She blinked at him, "Work?"

"Gotta go kill a dragon," he shrugged.

"A...Dragon?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. Thought I should let you know I might not make it back in time to see you on Friday. Also, thought it would be a good chance prove I'm a knight by showing you my armor…not exactly the reaction I was expecting. Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright," she said, handing the chest plate back to him.

He smiled at her. Before undoing the buckle that held the green handled sword on his back and setting the sword on the floor in front of him. As he worked on the buckles to attached the chest plate he turned and addressed Gil, "I'm gonna need that back soon, so if you want to try it on now's your chance."

Gil grinned, putting Mel's helmet on. It was too big on him and tipped sideways comically.

Elizabeth looked down at the sword, the light from outside caught the red eye of the dragon making it appear to wink at her. Mel seemed happy to let them look at his armor. Gil was wearing Mel's helmet. She just wanted to get a better look at the handle, he shouldn't mind. She glanced at Mel, he was looking the other way working on doing up the buckle on the opposite shoulder. She reached for the sword but before she could touch the handle his hand is on her wrist so fast it made her jump. Mel's grip wasn't tight, there was no resistance when she hastily withdrew her hand. She knew she had done something wrong, and mumbled an apology, keeping her hands clasped in her lap and her eyes down.

There was a beat of silence and her stomach twisted in guilt and worry. Then he placed the sheathed sword in her lap.

"If you want to see the blade, ask and I will draw it. Ok?" He stated, accentuating the "I". His tone was about as serious as she had ever heard, but when she looked up for confirmation he smiled down at her pleasantly. "Wouldn't want you to cut yourself." He added more pleasantly.

The sword filled her lap the dragon grinning up at her, from where it rested on her right knee. She traced her fingers over the shining red eye that had drawn her attention. And wrapped her hand around it experimentally. The scale pattern was rough under her hand, but there were spots where it was smooth is if it had been worn down over time. Like how some of the railings in the castle were.

Elizabeth became aware of the silence that had descended on the room and looked up at the two boys next to her, finding them watching her intently. She couldn't read Gil's expression, the only thing she could see of his face was the one eye that he'd managed to line up with the eye hole on Mel's helmet. Mel smiled down at her in his usual carefree way, but there is something that didn't feel right, there was a tightness to his smile that was out of place. Maybe he didn't like her holding the sword?

"Thank you." she handed the still sheathed sword back to him.

"No problem," he smiled and it looks less tight, less forced. She was glad.

"Can I see it now?" asks Gil.

"Maybe another time," Mel said strapping it to his back before standing to retrieve the rest of his armor. "I've gotta get going."

Elizabeth handed him his gloves, "Be careful" she said.

"Of course." he patted her on the head and with a wave over his shoulder and a carefree "See ya soon" he was gone.

What do you think?

Sorry if there are any grammar/spelling issues.