This is actually two chapters smushed together. I know I won't be able to work on this til next week, so I figured, why not?

Anyway, thanks everyone for all of the positive feedback! It's much appreciated! I hope you all enjoy this!

He flitted back and forth violently in her hands, and Diane wondered vaguely if he was desperate enough to bite her. Once his fists pounding on her palms slowed, she finally opened her hands just wide enough for his head squeeze through. She quickly clamped them shut again on his waist. Next she scanned him for clouded eyes, a hint of confusion that might indicate he was under the spell of that Holy Knight who made her attack the Captain, but his gaze was clear as he fixed her with a look of resigned disgust. It could tear her in two, that look.

"Watch out!" Diane left her eyes from King to find herself surrounded by knives all pointing at her head. She looked down at the fairy again, and he smirked triumphantly. He snapped his fingers and the knives rushed towards her. She knew she should do something, defend herself, stop him, but her brain didn't seem to be working right now.

King is attacking me, her mind repeated over and over.

King is attacking me.

Finally, some part of her remembered to shriek, and she closed her eyes in a wince. She waited for King's knives pierce her head. But nothing happened.

She opened her eyes to see Meliodas falling back to the ground after he must've countered the hit. "Diane, are you okay?"

She nodded, trying to find her voice. When she found it, she could only yell. "King, if you ever try to do that again I swear I will never talk to you ever!"

Diane glared at King, daring him to contradict her. But his anger seemed to have dissipated into shock, and his eyes were practically bulging out of his head.

"Wait… Did he say…You're DIANE?"

Exhaling, she let herself relax just a bit. This was King, not some demon wearing his face. She could see it in his cute little blush. "But then… When did you get so…" He blushed harder, and Diane laughed her tension away. She wasn't sure what he was stuttering about, but the way he gaped at her seemed to be a compliment. "I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"I'm fine! And it's okay, you were just defending yourself and you didn't know it was me!" She wanted to forget that just happened. She wanted to never, ever speak of him attacking her again, and only focus on her contentment that King was here, and she was holding him, he was here. She hugged him close to her chest, grinning. "You're back! You're back! I'm so happy to see you!"

King tittered nervously, the blush spreading to his neck and beyond. "I-I'm happy to see you too, Diane, I…uh w-wait! You shouldn't-… You remember me!?"

Diane nodded. That was what she had planned to tell him, after all. She held him away from her so that they could look at each other properly, but she refused to let go of him. "Ever since that fight in the city."

King furrowed his brow. "The city?"

"With Helbram." She replied.

The fairy King looked startled, "you saw that?! I didn't know… I didn't realize."

"I saw the whole thing." Though she smiled at him, the he seemed worn out from the conversation.

"I never wanted you to see that."

"What are you talking about? You protected me, and everyone else! You were so cool!"

He looked lost in thought for a moment. "Thanks, Diane. But I don't think he would've gone after you anyway…"

"Hm?" He must've been joking. It wasn't very funny.

"But, Diane… Don't misunderstand me, I'm so happy to see you again. But can you let me go, just for a little bit? I need to check on the Fairy King's Forest. My sister has been guarding it in my place for a very long time." His face brightened, "I'll come back and take you with me next time! I can show you my home! I mean, you'd want to come, right?"

Diane didn't know what to say. "King…"

The fairy frowned and shook his head. "Even you? Have you forgotten my name?"

"Harlequin," she tasted the word on her lips, noting how it felt both strange and familiar to address him this way. "Harlequin, your Forest is…" She trailed off, and King tilted his head and smiled at her.

"What is it, Diane?"

"CAPTAIN!" She shouted, refusing to answer him.

As King watched in confusion, Meliodas dictated Arthur and Slader to return to the Castle and find Merlin. He tried to send Elizabeth as well, but she insisted on staying. "I'm sorry, Sir Meliodas, but I won't leave Diane alone like this!" Diane flashed her friend a grateful smile.

Before anyone could react, King wriggled out of her grip. She had to wrestle with the urge to snatch him back and keep him with her forever, even though he only hovered a few feet in front of her.

"Stay back, Diane! They're dangerous!"

"What? Harlequin, Elizabeth won't hurt us!"

Though his back was to her, she still could see him put his hand on his face thoughtfully. She knew he must be frowning. "It's not the human girl I'm concerned about…"

She couldn't watch King and the Captain fight again, but it seemed she wouldn't need to. "No problem, King." Meliodas shrugged with a grin, "we'll just wait over here." And he and Elizabeth moved a few yards away.

King waved his hand at them, "Farther."

They kept walking backwards, until King finally sighed in relief. "That should do for now." He turned back to Diane with a small smile. "I really do need to go. I promise I'll be right-"

"No!" Diane stomped her foot, "you can't."

"But-"

"No! You have to stay here, because… Because I need to introduce you to my friend. Her name is Merlin. She's really great, and really smart, and you can't go because I have to introduce you."

"Diane," he smiled at her as if she were still a child. In his mind, she realized she might be. "I'm so happy you've found more friends. And I'd love to meet her! But I have to check on the Forest first, and-"

"NO." Her volume was increasing, but she didn't care, because this confused King absolutely COULD NOT go see the ruins of his home. "Please. Just wait with me a little while. It won't take long. Please."

King looked frustrated, but he hid it under a smile that soon turned genuine. "All right, just for a little while."

"I believe you." King said softly.

"Really?!" She beamed at the fairy who had listened attentively to her atop Chastiefol.

He nodded. "I can't think of any other explanation for how you could have aged so fast in only two decades." King sighed, "I just don't get how I could have lost my memory so soon after I got it back, but… You said it's been much longer than that, right?"

"Mhm. And you still have no idea how this happened?"

He shook his head sadly, "I don't even know how I got here."

"Don't worry about it, Harlequin!" She grabbed him, pillow and all, and kept him in her palm. "We'll fix this soon, and until then, we can spend some time together!"

"Yeah!" He gave her a small smile.

King rested comfortably in her hand as they chatted about everything and yet nothing. The way he acted around her made her feel like a kid again, but she found she didn't mind all that much. As they began watching the clouds, one of the shapes reminded her of an old friend, and she hesitantly shared with King a few details of what it was like growing up in the Giant Clan.

"That's awful that they framed you for her death. I'm so sorry, Diane."

"It's okay. It wasn't nearly as bad as being thrown in jail for murders your friend committed."

King stared at her with a mixture of confusion and concern. He gave a nervous laugh. "What's gotten into you? Such a scary game."

Now Diane stared at him, and noticed something amiss. "Where did Chastiefol go?"

"Where did who go?"

"It's not a who, it's a…" Her heart started pounding. Could he not remember how to summon his sacred treasure? Did he not even know what it was? "King…"

He smiled at her encouragingly. "King Chastiefol, that's who we're looking for?"

Don't panic, Diane. Smile. Don't panic. If you freak out, he'll freak out. Merlin will be here soon. Stay calm. Calm.

"Do you still want to go back to the Forest?" She kept her tone light. This was a game, right?

"What forest? You mean by our cave?"

She forced herself to giggle. "No, silly, the one where the King lives!"

"Oh! Sure, let's go find King Chastiefol in the forest!" He said, laughing excitedly. He dashed away, until he realized Diane wasn't following him. He flew back to her and floated in front of her face. "Don't you want to play?"

"No." Diane replied, her voice finally cracking, "Not at all."

"What's wrong? …Did I do something?" He looked so worried, she thought her heart might break.

She shook her head, fighting back tears. "No, it's not you! I just… I just want to stay here and talk some more."

He studied her for a few moments, his anxiety never wavering. But finally, he flew slowly to sit on her shoulder. "All right, if you're sure."

They didn't talk much. They tried, but the conversation eventually fell away into periods of strained silences until one of those silences never ended. After a while, Diane felt King settle in the crook of her neck. She was sure he had fallen asleep. That brought a smile to her face, albeit a small one. He was still her King, her Harlequin, who couldn't go a day without a few good naps.

She glanced over at the Captain and Elizabeth. They had apparently decided King was harmless enough that they didn't need to watch Diane, and barely paid her any attention as they chatted. She looked at the Castle now. Except for some knights and servants scurrying frantically around the new hole in their wall, there was no one around. What was taking Merlin so long? And now that she thought about, where had Gowther been all this time?

Moving her head around so much must have roused King, as she soon felt him stirring. "Good morning sleepy head!" She sang cheerily for his sake.

But then she didn't sense him anymore, and she looked over her shoulder to see King slowly hovering away. He was muttering to himself, and she was only able to catch some of it. "…Don't make eye contact…don't make any sudden moves…"

"Are you…afraid of me?" Diane was positive her heart just stopped. Tears threatened to roll down her face again, and the fairy looked taken aback.

"Y-You're offended…" He said more as an incredulous observation than a question directed at her. "I didn't realize your kind could…I mean…"

That was too much. It was just too damn much. Something inside of Diane snapped, and she jumped to her feet. She screamed louder than she thought possible, an animalistic screech that eventually took on coherence and formed a word. "MEEEEEEEEEEEEERLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"

Breathing hard, she whirled around to see King flying away as fast as possible. "Harlequin!" She called out pleadingly, and he froze in the air. He glanced back, wearing a mixture of shock and horror that she knew his name, and then sped off again, too fast and too high for her to reach.

Diane turned desperately to the Captain, who had one of his rare serious expressions. He made a shooing motion. "We'll be fine here. Go after him."

She nodded gratefully and started running.

I give Diane major props for keeping her patience for so long.

Final chapter is coming out next week! Hope you're liking it so far!