Hello friends and welcome to the exposition chapter. It may also be the Kingless chapter. Possibly ;)
Diane listened as her friends decided to train. She accompanied them to the Land of the Druids. But if you asked her who she had entered the Cave with, she could only stare at you blankly. She doubted that trial had made her stronger at all, because she wasn't really there.
Her mind, soul, and heart were in the blackened Forest, watching uselessly as King's sobs faded into a disturbing silence. Her Harlequin was never that quiet, not even asleep. She could still remember her delighted discovery as a child that this fairy boy talked in his sleep- sometimes sad things, but often whacky, nonsensical lines. And awake, he had words for everyone: a lecture, an opinion, a comment, King always had something to say.
The stillness as he gazed at the ash would not leave her brain.
The other Sins, as well as the Holy Knights who had joined them, seemed to tiptoe around Diane. Certain topics were contraband at the Sins' camp, even for Gowther (though she knew that wasn't his choice). Everyone followed this unspoken rule, except for one.
"Diane?" She had called to her once again soon after leaving the Land of the Druids, "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
The giantess flashed Elizabeth her best fake smile, though it was starting to wear thin. "Of course!"
"Then, do you want to talk about it?"
"About what?" She'd answered in a chipper voice, and Elizabeth sighed as she had every other time they'd had this conversation. "Please, Diane. It's been almost a month, and you haven't been yourself. I'm so worried about you, if you could only-"
Diane looked away, to the sky, the ground, anywhere but her friend's face. "Can we talk about this later?"
Elizabeth's hands clenched at her sides, and she started to retort with a reddening face, until a certain someone started squeezing her chest from behind. The Princess's face only flushed further as her eyes widened in surprise.
"I have something we can talk about!" Meliodas said cheerily.
"S-Sir Meliodas, wait!" He shushed the protesting Princess with his finger and began leading her away. Diane glowered after the pervy Captain as he was berated by Hawk, and it wasn't until Meliodas winked back at her that Diane realized she'd been rescued.
She wasn't trying to ignore Elizabeth or hurt her feelings or anything, and she knew her friend only meant well, but why couldn't Elizabeth see that THIS was how she'd chosen to deal with her situation, so THIS was how she would continue to?
Still, she probably owed Elizabeth an apology for all the times she had blown her off lately. Considering that the large group that had entered the Vaizel labyrinth had somehow dwindled down to all but Hawk, Elizabeth, and herself, now was probably the best time to do so.
"Hey, Elizabeth?" Diane said shyly.
"Yes?"
"I…" When Diane finally met her friend's smiling face, her eyes were drawn behind her by a flash of movement and color. There was an open archway, beyond which was another such arch, and passing by that was…
"Diane? Are you all right?"
"Ma…"
Diane really didn't mean to ignore her friend again, but she couldn't help it. She dashed past the confused Elizabeth and through the doors.
By the time she'd reached the spot, there was no one to be found. Of course there wasn't. What was she doing? It was impossible for Matrona to be here, and now…
She turned back to find her path blocked by a solid wall. Dammit! Elizabeth! She began pounding on the stone, and it was the muffled voice of Hawk she heard first.
"What the hell were you thinking you crazy girl?!"
Elizabeth's came next, "Are you all right?"
"Yeah! I'm sorry, I thought I saw something...you guys okay?" Once she heard their affirmations, she let her grimace grow into a small, determined smile. "Good. I'm going to stay along this wall until I find a way back to you. Follow the sound of my voice and do the same, okay?"
"Got it!"
"Okay!"
"And Hawk, look out for Elizabeth!" She added as she began walking quickly, trailing her hand against the stone.
"Leave it to me!" The pig promised.
Diane wished she could just knock over the wall, but she knew better. The Ground Gladius she had attempted after they had been separated from the Captain had rebounded back so intensely she thought she'd lose consciousness again.
"You guys still there?" She called.
"Yeah!"
"Yes!"
But their voices sounded even farther away, as if the wall itself was growing thicker. She moved faster now, shouting their names every few seconds, but their responses grew fainter still. Once Diane stopped hearing answers at all, she ran frantically back and forth around the area she last heard them, pressing her ear against the wall in distress.
But there was only silence. She had lost her friends.
She leaned against the wall now, crossing her arms and scowling. This was all because the maze had played tricks with her mind. She hated whoever had created it. But as long as the monsters here were no fiercer than the leeches Elizabeth had saved her from earlier when they were looking for food, the Princess should be fine. And she trusted the rest of her friends to find their way to the center as well. Diane just needed to join them.
Diane examined her options and found herself in a large room. A few feet away to her right was another narrow corridor. To the far left and right of her were paths that both disappeared behind sharp turns. She'd almost made up her mind when she felt something shifting in the earth beneath her feet.
The movement became more violent, and Diane feared an earthquake, until the soil around her began rapidly sinking. A pitfall? Quicksand? Then she saw teeth hopelessly large even by her standards, and she shrieked.
A harsh blow to its snout with Gideon prevented the large mouth from taking a chunk out of her leg, and gave her time to jump aside before it bursted from the ground. Diane took one look at the emerging creature and couldn't stop the scream. It was like a monstrous slug, with a long slippery body and rows of sharp teeth. It was a giant bug!
The beast slammed back onto the ground with a force that shook even the giantess. It lunged at her, jaws open impossibly wide. She readied Gideon to strike, but it seemed that wouldn't be necessary.
A large projectile moving too fast for Diane to identify plunged just below the head of the creature and came out the other side. As she watched in amazement, the object swiftly pierced the creature again and again, in and out like a deadly needle moving through cloth, until the beast lay in tatters. The weapon slowed then, and Diane could finally recognize what, and who, and saved her.
"Harlequin!" She practically glowed with happiness as she watched Chastiefol come to float beside the Fairy King. But he didn't look as excited as she was.
"H-Hi, Diane…" He whispered, and Diane was still trying to decipher what was contained in that expression and tone- sadness? Guilt? Relief? Shock? -Until she realized he had said her name. She beamed, but in response he only zoomed away atop his spear.
"Wait!" Again? How many more times was he going to make her chase him? "Harlequin! King! Harlequin!" She whipped around corners and through vast chambers, refusing to let him out of her sight. But he proved too fast for her, and before she could figure out which way King had gone, Gilthunder's yell drew her attention before she trampled the Holy Knights.
"You look like you've seen a ghost!" Gil commented after she apologized breathlessly.
Hauser just laughed happily. "But you're looking a lot livelier than you did earlier today!"
"Did he go this way?" She finally asked once her panting had slowed.
"Who?"
"King!"
Hauser looked thrilled. "King's here? That's awesome!"
"We haven't seen him." Gil told her, but he seemed just as happy for her.
She growled in frustration. "How does he disappear like that? This is just great. First I lose Elizabeth when I run after-…"
"When you ran after who, Diane?"
"Oh." She answered sheepishly, "I thought I saw a friend who had died a long time ago, but turns out it was all just my imagination."
The two Knights looked at each other in alarm.
"Diane…"Hauser rubbed the back of his neck, "You've been really upset lately, yeah? You've tired yourself out, and maybe…"
Gil finished for him. "Maybe King wasn't really there, either."
Diane put her hands on her hips. "Seriously, guys? You think I made this up!?"
"I…uh…well…Gil?"
"This maze has been fooling all of us. It could have been an illusion."
She shook her head slowly and vigorously. "I saw King. He spoke to me. He said my name. He saved me from this…thing, and I KNOW he was real! So it doesn't matter if you don't believe me, because I'm going to go find him anyway!"
As she started stomping away, she heard Gilthunder hiss, "It's not safe for her to go like this! Help me stop her, Hauser!"
"Hey, if the Lady saws she saw King, I won't argue! Least we can do is give her a hand!"
Diane looked back to see Hauser grinning at her. She returned the smile, and both turned to Gil, who was glancing back and forth between the excited pair incredulously. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
Diane stuck out her tongue at the Knight and winked, "Nope!"
"At least we can finish the maze while we look…" He sighed.
Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! Next one will be out...hopefully in less than a week this time, now that the Ren Faire has ended. Thanks for reading :)