"Damnit all! King Baltra is outright refusing to accept my proposal offer! I have even included many enticing offers to lure him into the deal, yet the stubborn old man will not give in and sign the paper!" Lord Havenworth ranted as he paced back and forth in his father's quarters with his hands clenching tightly at his side. "How am I to succeed in taking over that kingdom in order to build upon it so I may become sole ruler of Britannia?"
"Your anger shall be the fall of you, boy."
King Everardus glanced up at his pacing son from his desk with tired grey eyes. The boy had been going on and on about how Lady Elizabeth would be his, how many heirs he would force her to have in order to keep the bloodline going. The ruler had been around long enough to know that many kingdoms still practiced such traditional ways of royalty protocol, having done it himself in his younger years, but having watched his own child become nearly delirious with obsession slithered the slightest bit of concern into his old, hardened heart. It had been three years of King Baltra denying a treaty between Celnair and Liones mainly due to the persistent proposition of Lady Elizabeth's hand and the King was beginning to wonder if they should abandon the hope of unification.
"Why do you not relinquish your pursuit of Lady Elizabeth, Cornelius? There are plenty of other beautiful women available for a suitor such as yourself—"
"No! It shall be Lady Elizabeth and no one else!" Cornelius suddenly lashed out at the nearest thing closest to him and threw a decorative vase into the wall with a loud crash, glass shattering everywhere from the impact. "I will take her hand by force if needed!"
"You will watch your tone in my presence boy!" The King suddenly stood from his chair with a calm anger, his son immediately flinching back from the coldness. "If you continue to risk such a valuable and much needed treaty between our kingdoms then you leave me no other choice than to strip you of your title and send you out into the world poor and alone. King Baltra is a dear friend of mine and has been sending word of your behavior whilst in his kingdom. You dared to barge into his quarters moments after you were instructed to wait and showed immeasurable disrespect to both him and the city of Liones, even to one of the highest ranking knights under his command! He has warned that if one more outburst were to occur from you then he would ban you from ever entering the capitol again. I will be accompanying you to the next ball held in Liones and you will be under my close supervision, is that understood?"
"Yes, father." Cornelius muttered tightly.
"Leave my office, I have had enough of your insolence for one day." King Everardus sighed as he settled himself heavily into his chair.
The prince excused himself from the room making sure to quietly shut the door behind him as his rage rolled from his body in heavy waves. He stormed past a servant who quickly skirted around him with wide eyes, her freshly laundered towels pressed tightly to her chest in petrifying fear. Lord Havenworth was known as the Tyrant Terror amongst the staff for his uncontrollable rage and destructive nature everywhere he went. Some staff even took the full brunt of his attacks, not by their choice in the least, with at least three having died from the injuries over the past five years. They all feared him as he roamed the halls of his castle with some servants hiding in rooms the moment they heard or saw him approaching. King Everardus seemed to be the only one able to silence his son with just a few cold words paired with a threatening glare, though of late the ruler's health had been declining from age related factors. Cornelius would be the next in line to take the throne as he had no other living siblings to fight for it. His eldest brother had perished in a skirmish between the neighboring kingdom Greabia when a sword pierced through his armor killing him almost instantly. A younger sister fell ill early on in life to a rapid infection that had taken her during the night of her fifth birthday. Cornelius' mother, Amira, sadly passed away during childbirth with the king's fourth child, another boy whom perished as well.
The boy seemed to change after all of the death surrounding his life as he became reclusive from public areas and even within the walls of the castle, some staff saying he only wandered around at night when no one else was awake. His fighting instructor remarked that he seemed more aggressive with his swordsmanship, challenging any person in the vicinity to a duel. As time went on the prince excelled at the art of the sword, swiftly felling any enemy that crossed his path with the minimalist amount of effort and all of the citizens in Celnair praised him as a hero. Until the day the arrogance of the knight became his downfall.
They had been scouting along the Western edge of Britannia with orders to aid a search and rescue party after a storm had torn through one of the main port towns, Grantown, which connected to a good handful of the larger kingdoms throughout the land. Cornelius ordered his men to assist in any way possible as he walked around looking at the devastation with little interest while ignoring the cries of help all around him. Thick smoke hung in the air as piles of rubble burned heavily, screams of people ringing out in the air. It was a disturbing sight for most, yet Cornelius Havenworth had rid himself of the sickening sensation brought on by corpses and dying people many years ago. He spotted a knight dragging a trapped man from beneath a pile of what was once a trading post, calling for someone to aid the clearly injured person. As he neared the knight he noticed the insignia on the back of the armor, a triskele, and he stopped dead in his tracks. The knight hadn't noticed him yet as he studied the person intently. Silver and red armor, a curved sword with an emerald green hilt strapped to his back, wild blonde locks. Something about him ticked familiar in his mind though he couldn't quite figure it out until the knight sharply turned his head to the left, catching his stare. The piercing emerald eyes finally pieced it together and Cornelius let a slow grin tug at his lips.
"You are the Dragon's Sin, Meliodas, from Liones?"
"I am." Meliodas replied shortly before turning his head back to the injured man groaning in front of him. "There are others who need assistance, Lord Havenworth, if you would. I will tend to this man until—"
A shing sliced through the air as Cornelius swung his blade down upon the turned back of the knight with full force. Just before the blade made contact Meliodas countered the attack and sent the hero of Celnair stumbling backwards as his sword flew from his grasp. Knights from surrounding kingdoms stopped dead as they watched the tense atmosphere around the two highly praised knights grow steadily into a thick cloud. Cornelius whipped his head back to see his blade lodged into the ground a few inches deep.
"What do you think you are doing?" Meliodas demanded lowly as he stood defensively in front of the victim.
"Ha, you are indeed as impressive as the rumors paint you, Meliodas. I have yet to be bested in combat, yet you tossed my sword as if it were nothing more than a twig." Cornelius let out a hearty laugh as he stepped backwards to collect his weapon. "I hereby issue an official challenge to you, Dragon's Sin Meliodas."
"Do you not notice what has happened around you? These citizens need help, yet you want to waste crucial time and start a fight with me? I highly doubt you were sent solely here to issue a challenge, Lord Havenworth."
"That is correct. Do you accept the challenge, or will you admit defeat and lose your honor as a Holy Knight?" Lord Havenworth yanked his blade from the ground with ease, swiping it through the air to remove the dirt particles.
"Your arrogance knows no bounds, that will be your downfall one day." The Dragon's Sin warned as he sheathed his sword slowly. "Get this man out of here and continue looking for others. Merlin has a medical tent set up just on the edge of town, take them there quickly."
"Yessir!" The knights around him quickly scrambled to collect the townsfolk from the debris as Meliodas helped the man before him up and handed him off to one of the soldiers.
"You are rejecting my challenge?" Lord Havenworth smirked as he stared down at the shorter knight with amusement. "Do you not believe you can win against me?"
Meliodas turned and walked up to the man, stopping two feet away before glaring up at him with pure loathing swimming in his eyes. "I do not fight useless battles to inflate my ego unlike yourself, Cornelius. My job is to help the people of Grantown and then return to my duties in Liones. If you continue to unleash your weapon upon me I will be forced to strike you down."
The knights stared intensely at one another, waiting for the other to break down first and turn. Meliodas' glare sent a chill down the princes' spine, though he held his ground. Cornelius could feel his body begin to tremble in excitement, yet he knew he couldn't strike the knight just yet, so with the non-threatening smile he had plastered on for so many years, he backed down from the fight. For the moment at least.
"Such a serious one you are. I meant no harm, I was just curious to see how you would react. Carry on with your duties then and I shall continue to oversee my men."
Lord Havenworth strolled away with a wave as his other hand tightly clenched the sword in his grasp. That damned brat had made a fool of him in front of all of those knights! Why would they listen to him anyways? Being a Holy Knight was nothing special as far as he was concerned, so what was the point of listening to a man with a meaningless title? His blood boiled as he searched out his men to lay into them to take out his frustrations, carelessly shoving people out of his way as he looked for them.
"Ya know, an attitude like that will get you into some serious shit." A voice warned lightly as he passed by another soldier and the knight stopped. "I suggest you take it elsewhere."
"Who the hell are you to criticize me?" Havenworth spun on his heel to confront the owner of the voice only to find himself staring at an armored chest.
"The Fox's Sin, Unbeatable Ban, is who." Ban gave the knight a Cheshire grin as he crossed his arms over his chest, red armor clinking softly. Pale blue hair spiked out in every direction from his head as piercing red eyes stared down at the knight who finally seemed to notice the actual height of the Sin.
"Lest you wish to be struck down with my blade I suggest you keep your nose out of my business." Cornelius hissed at the towering man with his jaw clenched tightly.
"You can try all you want but the only person to ever defeat me is Captain Meliodas. My bet is on the Captain winning." The Sin casually tossed out as he tilted his neck to show a massive scar that trailed from beneath his armor to just below his cheekbone with a grin.
"Mind your own damned business." He snapped before stomping away from the snickering soldier. Who the hell did he think he was?!
It only took him a few minutes to find his men clearing debris with a few other soldiers as they attempted to find any survivors. Pulling them out now after they just arrived would draw more attention to himself, so the prince made a beeline for the generals' tents lined up outside of the town. Light spilled through the canvas flaps of the entrance and without bothering to announce his presence Cornelius entered the tent.
"Prince Cornelius, a pleasure to see you again!" A heavily armored man called out as he raised a hand in greeting. "Come, join us for a game of cards. How have you been? Is King Everardus still doing well?"
"I am well, General Hawkin. Father is also doing well, thank you for your concern. How is King Berengar and Arvendon fairing these days? I have not been able to make my way over there as of lately." Cornelius slid the practiced smile on once more as he took a seat next to General Hugues of Merenth, a city located just a few days from his own.
"Good, good! Even with all of these skirmishes we have managed to stay safe behind our walls. I feel bad for these folks here, they had a storm come out of nowhere and nearly obliterate them from the map. We may have supply shortages for the next few months thanks to it."
"We have other suppliers that enter through a multitude of other ports, it would not take too much to have them diverted. The biggest problem is we were expecting a shipment to depart from here a few days ago. Seems it was all destroyed during the storm. You can expect prices to start rising." General Hugues sighed as he folded his hand on the table and leaned back in his chair.
"Can we ask for assistance from up North and explain to them what happened to the port? Surely they would have enough resources to share." Lord Havenworth suggested as he kindly declined the cards handed to him. He wouldn't be able to think straight currently thanks to the damn Dragon's Sin. Maybe he could catch them as they were headed out for the evening and ambush him into a fight. It almost seemed like a cowardly way to approach the situation, but the prince wanted nothing more than to beat the highly skilled Holy Knight in a spar with multiple kingdoms watching. He couldn't wait for the glorious defeat of that damned brat.
"Hm, that is a possibility however they have had multiple heavy skirmishes lately with those to the Northwest, so their resources are probably running low as well." General Hawkin added in as he shuffled the cards back together and siding them into their metal case. "We may just have to suck it up and deal with it until the port gets restored. I am sure word will be sent when they get ready to rebuild so we can assist them once more."
"If I may ask you gentlemen a question," Cornelius started casually as he leaned back in his chair with his hands interlocked behind his head. "What do you know of the Dragon's Sin Meliodas?"
"The Captain?" Hugues asked with a notched brow. "Surely you have heard of his stories throughout Britannia." Cornelius shook his head.
"I do not know much apart from that he is a Holy Knight from Liones and has the peculiar nickname with a brief description."
"He was the youngest person ever to become a Holy Knight at the ripe age of thirteen and rose through the ranks in a matter of two years. Meliodas was even assigned his own special unit nicknamed the Seven Deadly Sins. Supposedly each member was marked with a creature of sin for a heinous crime they committed. I may be rusty at their names but there is Meliodas the Dragon's Sin of Wrath, Ban the Fox's Sin of Greed, Harlequin the Grizzly's Sin of Sloth, Diane the Serpent's Sin of Envy, Merlin the Boar's Sin of Gluttony, Gowther the Goat's Sin of Lust and…what was the last one again? The really big dude?"
"Escanor the Lion's Sin of Pride." Hugues filled in for Hawkins.
"That was it! Not sure how I could forget a man that large!" The general let out a deep laugh as he pulled a cigar from his travel pouch resting on the table. "The man is about ten feet tall or some ridiculous number like that, super strong as well though I do not believe he is the strongest out of all of them."
"What crimes did they commit to earn those names, General Hawkins? I have not heard any stories about how they earned those names." Maybe he could find some dirt on them and use it against those sinners somehow…
The generals tensed up suddenly and immediately avoided eye contact with the prince before standing and bowing towards the entrance of the tent. Confused, Cornelius opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when he noticed the tent flap had opened and there stood Meliodas with an impassive expression on his face.
"C-Captain Meliodas, forgive us sir, we were unaware of your presence." General Hawkins stuttered out as the tent flap fluttered closed behind the captain who stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I would like a moment with Lord Havenworth." The Dragon's Sin simply stated, and the two generals booked it from the tent with apologetic mutters as they passed. Cornelius made to get up when a strong hand pushed him back down into the chair painfully, the legs groaning under the heavy stress. "What are you doing asking around about that? You have no right to stick your nose into business that is not yours."
"Are you hiding something then, Captain? Something that should not be openly known to the world?" The prince sneered then winced as Meliodas gripped his shoulder tighter, his expression growing dark.
"I do not know what you are up to, Cornelius, though I highly suggest you cease your search for the information you seem to so desperately seek. This will not end well if you do not drop it immediately."
"F-fine, just release your damned grip already before you shatter my shoulder." The prince yielded as he felt the bones popping from the pressure and Meliodas loosened his grip but stayed rooted to his spot.
"If you ever try to attack me like that again as well," The Holy Knight planted his palm on the wooden table as he got within inches of the wide-eyed prince. "You will find out why I am called the Dragon's Sin of Wrath, Cornelius. Are we clear?"
"Y-yessir." A flash of darkness washed over Cornelius and began creeping into every corner of his mind filling it with vivid images of faceless creatures screaming in agony as they burned in a black fire. As soon as it had imprinted into his mind it was gone and leaving the man tremoring in fear.
"Good." The Sin suddenly smiled as he patted the petrified prince against the cheek. "If you are still up for it I will take you on in a spar if you ever come to Liones. See you around, Corni!"
"C-Corni?" The prince whispered as Meliodas left him in the tent all alone.
"Princess Elizabeth, please return to your lesson!"
Elizabeth ignored the flustered tutor as she weaved around the throngs of staff frantically running around with everything from silverware to freshly pressed linens as she headed towards the sparring ring just outside of the castle doors, her soft yellow spring dress whipping wildly behind her. News of the once in a lifetime battle between high ranking knights spread like wildfire across Britannia and the princess eagerly took the chance to skip the boring embroidery class she was forced to attend. With all of the commotion going on it was easy to slip through the attendees and Holy Knights who hadn't received word of her disappearance yet. As the doors neared the crowds became increasingly more compacted and she struggled to shove through the bulky sets of armor and infuriatingly poofy women's gowns. Just as an opening to squeeze through opened up it was soon closed off once more and the princess let out a frustrated grunt as she was shoved against a large body.
"Pardon me, excuse me! Princess coming through!" Elizabeth called out over the buzz of excitement in the air. "Please allow me through!"
"Lady Elizabeth? What on earth are you doing down there?" She glanced up to see Holy Knight Griamore looking down at her in surprise as he towered over the visiting throng of people. "You should be in your lessons right now, correct?"
"Griamore! I want to see the battle, please help me get out of this—ugh—crowd." The princess grunted as she was pressed against the knight from a passerby. "I am nearly thirteen years of age and I should be able to witness such events if I please."
"I suppose there is no arguing with a princess. Come here then." The knight chuckled deeply as he swiftly picked her up and carried her bridal style. "I know your father would disapprove of you being out here right now."
Elizabeth huffed as she crossed her arms indignantly. "I never get to see anything exciting because I am always stuck in those silly lessons every single day. Father would surely forgive me on this one occasion."
"We shall keep it our secret then, okay?" Griamore gave her a wink and smiled as she enthusiastically nodded her head. He was always fond of the youngest princess, seeing her as a little sister he never had.
Once they had finally made it through the massive iron doorway Griamore passed the crowds with ease, taking long strides down the massive staircase and heading towards the sparring grounds. "It can be dangerous to be so close to the sparring ring so you must stay by my side at all times, understood?"
"Yes, Griamore. Just so you know," Elizabeth motioned for him to come closer, her hands cupping against her cheek as he lowered his head. "You are my favorite Holy Knight but do not let the others know or else they may get jealous."
"I will not speak a word of it, Lady Elizabeth." The knight chuckled as she settled back into his arms and looked around excitedly.
The ring soon came into view and instead of heading for the tower overlooking the arena that held the royals, Griamore diverted left and headed towards the tents nestled behind the barrier walls. Elizabeth gave him a quizzical look, but he just shook his head and kept walking. The clash of metal rang out in the air and she swiveled her head around to see a handful of knights practicing with one another, their movements swift and powerful. Blue eyes widened as she watched one knight taking on three others with ease in merely a tucked brown tunic and striped loose pants that ended mid-calf. He carried his sword with a light hand as he deflected blade after blade with little to no effort, a smile on his face.
"Griamore, who is that man there? The one fighting off three others? I have never seen someone fight with such fluidity and ease." Elizabeth asked in awe, unable to tear her eyes away from his seemingly dance-like movements.
"Ah, that man is—"
"Fighters, don your armor, the matches will begin shortly." An announcer yelled over the clanging of metal. "Those not fighting please exit the training grounds and find your seats. The first match is between Hamilton and Sezaris!"
"Let us go find our seats, Lady Elizabeth. I know the perfect spot for it right by the fighters quarters and you can surely meet some of them." Griamore began moving away from the practice area and Elizabeth strained to see the mysterious fighter once more. Just as a tent was about to block her vision the man locked eyes with her and smiled before getting out of sight. Heat rushed to her cheeks and she quickly lowered her head out of embarrassment.
Knights in heavy armor filled the waiting area as they walked through with some calling out to the towering soldier when he passed. Elizabeth could barely contain her excitement as they made it into an opening and Griamore gently set her down with a firm reminder to stay near him at all times. With a verbal agreement she acknowledged and stuck near the giant of a man as he headed towards the tent. Her eyes shimmered as the glint of the swords caught her attention and she started moving towards them with the overwhelming curiosity to touch them, paying no heed to the agreement she had made with Griamore mere seconds ago. She had never been allowed to touch sharp objects due to her wild nature when she was younger but surely now that she was older she could—
"I would be careful, My Lady, those swords are very sharp." A muffled voice warned her, and she jerked her hand back just as she was about to touch the reflective edge of the blade.
A knight in deep red and silver armor with a rounded horned helmet stopped beside her and reached to his hip to grab his weapon from its sheath before carefully holding it out to her. "Here, if you would like you can touch the flat part on the top but avoid the sides, okay? You can injure yourself if you accidentally scrape it."
"O-okay." The princess swallowed before shakily reaching her hand out towards the metal. The knight waited patiently as she ran her finger along the metal with admiration. "Are they heavy to wield, My Lord?"
"In the beginning they can be, yes, but as you learn to wield them they become an extension of your body."
"May I hold it? I promise to be careful with it." Elizabeth clasped her hands together as she looked at the knight expectantly. He was the slightest bit taller than her and she briefly wondered if they were near the same age. Though she couldn't see his eyes very well she knew he was looking at her, debating.
"Lady Elizabeth, you just promised me you would not—Captain, I did not expect for you to find her." Griamore was in the middle of chastising the princess before noticing who was with her, his relief almost palpable as he sighed.
"Yo, Griamore. I found her trying to touch the swords, so I am teaching her how to handle it properly. She will not be harmed, rest assured." The Captain muffled through his helmet. "What is she doing out here with you? She should be with her father in the booth, correct?"
"Well—"
"I made the decision to come out here on my own, is that a problem, Captain?" Elizabeth raised a brow at the knight standing before her and crossed her arms over her chest, daring for him to challenge her authority. It seemed all anybody did was watch over her all day and make sure she was where she needed to be at all times. On the few attempts of sneaking away Guila usually caught her by the collar and dragged her back inside the castle while ignoring her protests.
"Not at all, Lady Elizabeth, you are free to go wherever you please as long as you do it safely." Captain chuckled into his helmet as he held out his hand for hers. "Here, I will show you the proper way to hold a blade so do exactly as I instruct you."
He grabbed her hands and turned them palms up next to one another while explaining the steps. With the blade sheathed the captain gently rested the grip against her palm while supporting the underside as her hand dipped from the foreign weight. One by one he adjusted her fingers over until they were snug against the leather wrap. Making sure the edge of her hand was rested against the guard he grabbed her other hand and did the same. "I am going to hold the blade up for you since the sheath could fall off if your grip drops. Go ahead and try to hold it up if you can, Lady Elizabeth."
Elizabeth did just that and giggled in glee as she held the short blade up, with assistance, for a few seconds before the weight finally dragged her hands back down. "How do you hold up such a heavy weapon, My Lord? It does not seem comfortable."
"Years of training and practice." Captain replied as he took the blade back from the princess before shifting it back into his holster. "Will you be staying for the match? I can explain the rules to you—"
"Yes! I-I mean," The princess slapped her hands over her mouth as the outburst slipped, heat flooding her face in embarrassment. Both knights laughed at her reaction further reddening her cheeks. "I-I would love that, Captain."
"Griamore, are you over there? Princess Elizabeth has run off again and we need to find her." Guila called from outside of the tent and Elizabeth's eyes went wide.
"I thought I had more time before she hunted me down."
"I will handle her, do not fret. You deserve to have some fun every now and then Lady Elizabeth." Griamore gently ruffled her hair with a large hand before turning to exit the tent. "Captain, I leave her in your care for the time being."
"Got it." The Captain tossed him a thumbs up before grabbing Elizabeth's hand and guiding her through the tent and towards another opening. "Guila is easy to sneak around once you know her habits. I know a secret path we can take to avoid her."
The princess remained silent as the knight dragged her around the backside of the tents, heart pounding wildly in her chest. She wasn't sure if she was more excited or nervous as they reemerged into the crowd and weaved between people with ease. Doing something so reckless would surely make her father angry, especially being dragged around by a man whose name she didn't even know. A small part of her mind warned her not to trust him, but she felt a little more at ease with him than Griamore and she wasn't entirely sure why. They reached the opposite edge of the ring and the captain pointed to some seats generally reserved for staff members of the castle and visiting servants.
"These seats should be empty for today so we can use them for now. Griamore should return by the time my fight begins." He guided her to the seat and waited until she was settled before sitting to her right with a loud clink of his armor as it shifted.
"May I ask why everyone calls you Captain? Is it your true name?" Elizabeth inquired as she smoothed any wrinkles from her dress. Two fighters entered the ring and were prepping before the start of their battle with warmups and final armor adjustments. Her feet swung back and forth as her excitement grew.
"I have another name however most just call me Captain since I rank higher than them," He explained easily, shifting in his armor the slightest. "I am amongst the highest within the Holy Knights legion."
"What is your other name, if I may?" The knight merely shook his head and pointed to the center of the ring as the fighters began squaring off. She noted that he immediately stiffened at the question before diverting her attention elsewhere.
"That is a story for another time, Lady Elizabeth. I want you to pay close attention to their postures and fighting styles." Her mouth opened to protest but closed nonetheless as she focused her attention on the knights.
Captain explained everything to her from how they shake hands before moving back to a starting position to show good sportsmanship to how they spot an opponent's openings in order to swiftly bring them to a submissive stance. The audience cheered loudly as the swords collided and sparked rapidly against one another with both knights putting their full strength into each blow. Elizabeth let out a gasp as one fighter fell to the ground thanks to a sneaky leg sweep, the blade from his opponent inches away from his exposed neck. A call from the referee ended the match with the knight still standing declared the winner.
"Do people get hurt doing this, Captain?" Elizabeth questioned softly as the two knights shook hands once more before departing from the arena.
"It is a risk these men take when they enter the ring, usually they are nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises. Some fights can get heated enough to where there is a significant amount of injury but that is a rare occurrence. King Baltra ensures there are no fatalities within the ring."
"Is it hot in your armor? Why not take off your helmet until your turn has arrived? How can you move around in that? How heavy is it?"
"Once a knight has donned his armor before a challenge it is seen as disrespectful to those watching to remove it. You really get used to it after a few months of daily wear, My Lady, although summer is usually the worst time to constantly wear it. As for the weight, once your body adjusts to it then it is like wearing a second skin." The announcer called up another pair of knights and the captain leaned forward on his elbows to get a closer look.
"May I ask how old you are?" Elizabeth let the question that had been on her mind for the past half hour finally slip as she turned her head towards him. The armor shook with mirth.
"You sure are full of questions today, My Lady, why the sudden interest in me?" He teased and the princess shyly tucked some stray locks behind her ear as heat crept onto her face. What was she acting all bashful for? All she was doing was asking simple questions about the captain serving under her father, nothing more, right?
"I-I was just curious, is all, nothing more than that. You do not have to tell me—"
"I will turn sixteen in another month." She looked at him in stunned silence. He was barely older than she was, and he was a Captain?
"Really? You seem much older than you appear."
"Should I be flattered by that statement?" Captain teased and snickered as the princess turned bright red and quickly turned her head the opposite way.
Things settled down between them as the second match began, both knights fully throwing themselves into the fight with battle cries and fierce attacks. The captain glanced over at the princess and noticed how absorbed she was in the fighting as she leaned forward in her seat with her fingers over her mouth as she studied them. It was amusing to watch her act so informal for once and to witness her act like an actual teenager instead of the third princess of Liones. The last time he had seen her longer than in passing was almost four years ago when he was sworn into the Holy Knights as an apprentice. Looking at her now, as she was becoming a strong, independent young woman, it gave him feelings he didn't quite know how to comprehend. He was happy to see her and spend time with her, something that never really existed once he began getting sent off on missions that lasted weeks to months at a time, however he knew it wouldn't continue on forever. She would be married off to some prince at a far kingdom while he continued his duties in Liones for possibly the rest of his life. Maybe he would settle down, maybe not, it all depended on what he wanted to do with the single life he had been given. But what else did he have to do? Travelling was one thing he had intermittent thoughts about, opening a bar another one as well.
He shook his head to clear his rambling thoughts. His fight with Lord Havenworth would be up next and Griamore still hadn't returned from distracting Guila. Perhaps she had dragged him off and was forcing him to search in a completely different area of the castle grounds. Looking in the direction of the changing tents, the captain scanned the crowd for familiar faces from his platoon. After a few moments of searching, amongst the sea of grey and brown stood out a familiar blood red set of armor with a mop of light blue hair on top and he released a sharp whistle that instantly caught the owners attention. With a nod of his head the suit of armor and its owner made their way over to the captain with casual strides. While he would rather guard the princess himself, he knew Ban was the right man for the job until he finished his fight.
"A pleasure to see you, Lady Elizabeth." Ban stopped a few feet from her before bowing, the princess quickly standing to curtsey but he waved it away with a grin. "No need for formalities, My Lady, I am not one for proper decorum. If you do not mind I would like to join in on your fight studies. My name is Ban."
"Of course, Sir Ban, a pleasure to have you here. Are you acquainted with the captain by chance?" Elizabeth sat back down and turned to the man in the red armor. He had light blue hair that stuck out in a multitude of angles and striking red eyes that held a bit of deviousness to them. Just from first appearances he seemed to be a very kind man with bit of a wild streak if she had to guess.
"I serve under his direct command, My Lady. I hope he hasn't been giving you any trouble." The captain made a fast motion with his hand as Elizabeth's back was turned to him and it made Ban smile even wider.
"Not at all, I have been thoroughly enjoying my time with him." Elizabeth smiled before turning her attention to the fight that was nearing completion. "He has taught me more about swords and fighting than I was ever allowed to know. It amazes me how hard all of the knights work to protect the kingdom and all of its citizens, I wish to thank you both for protecting Liones and everyone residing within its walls. And for helping those in their times of need outside of our city as well."
"Lady Elizabeth…" The captain suddenly felt a bit hotter beneath his armor and he caught the raised eyebrow of Ban before averting the knowing gaze of his comrade.
"Now announcing the next participants; Captain of the Holy Knights of Liones and Prince Havenworth of Celnair Keep, please enter the arena."
The knight stood slowly as he prepared himself for the fight. It would be over in a matter of seconds, that much he already knew, but maybe he would toy with the knight for his uncalled actions back in Grantown. Something tugged at his hand and he looked down to see Elizabeth grasping his hand, her expression worried as tears welled in her eyes. His heart thudded loudly against his ribs as he gently squeezed her hand back. He wanted nothing more than to stay and comfort her, tell her he wouldn't fight just to see a smile on her face once more; he had to fight, not only for his honor but to knock down the arrogance of a man who could become a threat further down the line for both Britannia and Elizabeth.
"Please be careful, Captain."
"I will, Lady Elizabeth. Ban, take care of her while I am gone." The knight nodded as he laid a comforting hand on Elizabeth's shoulder.
The crowds cheering grew louder as he entered the area after a quick weapon swap, his newly acquired blade resting snugly in its custom scabbard. Lord Havenworth slowly strolled towards the center of the sand filled battleground with his hand already tightly latched around his hilt. They reached their spots at the same time, eyeing each other up as the referee called for a handshake. Captain firmly extended his hand and waited for Cornelius to do the same with hard eyes. The prince chuckled as he snatched the waiting hand and gripped it tightly, leaning down as he did.
"I look forward to this fight Dragon's Sin Meliodas, as retribution for the incident a few months ago. I assure that this will be your loss." Havenworth sneered as he gripped Meliodas' hand tighter. The Sin merely smirked beneath his helmet before breaking from the grasp with ease, turning to head to the starting position.
"This fight will be over faster than you think it will, Corni."
The crowd fell to a hushed silence as the knights drew their blades and readied themselves. Elizabeth clenched her hands tightly against her chest as she kept worried eyes on the captain. Ban assured her there was no way he would lose but that didn't mean she wouldn't worry about him. Stories had made their way through the servants of the castle about how Lord Havenworth was a cruel and ruthless fighter who spared no one in his conquest to become the most powerful knight in all of Britannia. Watching the two eye each other up shot her nerves through the roof and the princess fought down the urge to stop the fight. A thought hit her, and she slumped a little in her seat. For sure she would be caught if she made a scene in order to prevent Lord Havenworth from severely injuring the captain or worse. Veronica would never let her leave her room again. Guila would patrol outside of her room every waking hour. And her father…she didn't want to think about what would happen when he found out.
"Lady Elizabeth, I assure you Captain will be fine. I have seen him take down enemies stronger than himself with barely a scratch. Lord Havenworth may be known as a rampaging tyrant, but I believe in the captain as should you." Ban reassured the princess once more as he noticed her constant fidgeting.
"I hope you are right, Sir Ban, I really do."
Meliodas knew Cornelius would make the first move as he effortlessly blocked his high-powered quick strikes with little trouble, shifting his stance to keep a few steps back from the knight at all times. Not that it mattered to him, really, as he was just messing with the man to wear him down to the point where it would be an easy win for the Holy Knight. He could hear the frustrated growls emitting from Cornelius' helmet and he couldn't help the snicker that slipped from his lips.
"Having a bit of trouble, Corni? Surely you are more than a simple coward who attacks fellow knights from behind, right? If word got out that you intentionally attempted to strike down a Holy Knight, well, that just wouldn't look good for you, would it? Your crown could be taken, and you would be thrown out onto the streets, mocked and ridiculed for failing to uphold the knights' code of honor."
"Ha, that is rich coming from a criminal such as yourself, Dragon's Sin. If I have to search to the ends of the world I shall just to expose you for who you really are." Cornelius sneered as he suddenly swept his leg out in hopes of taking the Sin down, albeit what he got was the knight suddenly backflipping away to avoid his leg. How could he have such a fast reaction time and agility in heavy armor?
"You don't want to find out who I really am, Lord Havenworth, because if you keep probing into this, it'll be your funeral." Meliodas threatened lowly as he swung his sword at the prince in the blink of an eye. Cornelius barely managed to block the powerful blow and dug his feet into the sand as his body slid back from the impact. His eyes went wide from inside his helmet as the man before him suddenly seemed more intimidating, a different vibe radiating from his body.
"Your mannerisms have changed. Did I make you mad, Meliodas? Losing your cool in front of Lady Elizabeth is no way to win her heart, boy."
"You leave her out of this Cornelius, this is your one and only warning." Meliodas snarled as he shifted behind the prince and sent him crashing into the sand with a powerful kick to the back. "I won't allow you to use Lady Elizabeth for your twisted fantasies. Rest assured King Baltra won't ever hand her over to you and neither will I."
"A soft spot for the princess? You should know better than to allow yourself to fall in love with Lady Elizabeth when she is destined for a prince such as myself." Cornelius coughed out the sand that had entered through helmet and stumbled to his feet. Holy shit the man was fast and if he didn't think of something quick he was going to be beaten into a permanent pulp. "Who would want a criminal such as yourself when all of the honor you possess is nothing more than a cover-up for who you truly are."
The Sin grit his teeth as he tried to reign back the anger threatening to crash through the dam. Havenworth was purposely trying to get him to lose his control in order to take advantage of the weak opening. It wasn't a bad idea save for the fact that others had used that tactic before and failed, except this time he was dragging Lady Elizabeth into the fray, using her as a pawn in his twisted game of chess. His breathing became heavier as he felt the last threads of his control slipping from his grasp like water and in an attempt to stop the wrath from escaping him, he bit down on the inside of his cheek hard. Blood filled his mouth, but he didn't care as the anger receded the slightest bit.
"Captain, I believe in you!" Meliodas jerked back in surprise, turning his head to see Elizabeth standing against the outer stone wall of the arena, a fierce determination on her face. Ban shot his captain a crooked grin and a head nod from beside her. "So please do your best to win! I will be waiting for you when you are done!"
"How sweet, have you stolen the princess' heart already? Do not worry, I shall be taking hers soon while crushing yours to pieces!" Cornelius roared as he swung his sword down with all the force he could muster, aiming for a crippling blow. What he didn't expect was for his blade to shatter into a hundred pieces as Meliodas countered the attack with a swift upwards cut, striking the weak point of the blade and destroying it.
"Full Counter."
Cornelius Havenworth hit the ground hard enough for his helmet to fly off and sections of his armor to snap from their buckles, the man sliding a good twenty feet before coming to a stop with sand in every crevice of his body. Hacking up the particles from his lungs, the prince managed to get on his hands and knees when cool metal touched against the side of his neck and he froze.
"I think you've gotten the message Lord Havenworth, so don't ever let me catch you attempting to drag Lady Elizabeth into your twisted plans again. Am I clear?" The trembling man nodded quickly and Meliodas stood back and sheathed his sword, Lostvayne, before turning and leaving the arena without another word.
The crowds went insane as Meliodas walked out of the arena and promptly popped his helmet off while shaking his sweat drenched blonde locks. With a quick spit he cleared the blood from his mouth and made his way to the shower tent to take off the sweltering armor before it became permanently glued to him. Knights congratulated him as he passed by with a few slapping him on the back and offering to buy him a drink which sounded really good at the moment, but he had a princess waiting for him on the other side of the arena. Tossing back the flap of the tent he beelined for the stall with his name and promptly began unbuckling his armor. It clanked loudly as it hit the floor, the knight stripping himself as fast as possible before grabbing the provided water bucket and dousing himself in it. He let out a string of curses as the cold washed over him but quickly worked through the shock to his system, cleaning himself in record time. Once his tunic and pants were on, he left his armor for the apprentice knights to clean and put away before exiting the tent. He pushed his way through the crowd as he made his way to where they were seated. It was when he got closer that he realized someone else was there with them, someone that made his blood boil.
Lord Havenworth held Elizabeth's hand before gently placing a kiss against her knuckles, giving her a sickening sugary smile as he said something. Ban was beside the princess with one hand clenched tightly at his side and the other ready to grab the princess by the elbow if needed. Meliodas tried to calm himself as he approached, his pulse deafening in his ears. Elizabeth seemed to notice the new footsteps and turned towards him with a wide smile. Graciously taking her hand back from the prince and curtseying, she turned and quickly walked up to him with her hands clenched against her chest.
"Captain, that was amazing! Are you okay? Did you get hurt at all? You had me so worried! Why would you worry me like that?" The princess suddenly sobbed as she lightly whacked at his shoulders, tears streaming down her face as her pent up emotions poured out. "I thought for sure you were going to be beaten and…and…"
"Lady Elizabeth," Captain let out a small laugh as he gently grabbed her pummeling fists and held them still. "I promised to be careful, right? I am fine, I assure you." She looked at him with watery eyes.
"Are you sure? It…" The words died in her throat as the image of Lord Havenworth swinging his sword upon the motionless captain tightened the muscles. With an unsteady breath in the princess flung herself against him and latched her arms around him tightly, sniffling into his shoulder.
Meliodas froze with wide eyes at the sudden contact, emerald eyes darting to Ban who had a similar expression on his face. Lord Havenworth scowled before turning on his heel and storming away, leaving the two Sins with a crying princess. Slowly, as if he wasn't so sure of himself, the captain wrapped his arms around her gently and rubbed circles in her back. The smell of her hair was comforting, and he resisted the urge to bury his nose in the crook of her neck to get closer to it. She was still the princess of Liones and there were certain rules to follow before her coming of age ceremony in three years. But seeing Cornelius get to her first, kissing her knuckles with that filthy mouth of his, it set him off and he couldn't help but give in and nestle closer in an attempt to cancel out the slimeballs germs.
"I truly am sorry for making you worry, Lady Elizabeth," Meliodas spoke softly as she reached a hand up to wipe away her tears.
"N-no, it is my fault for overreacting, forgive me." The princess slowly pulled back, wiping her face with the backs of her hands. He missed the contact already, but the captain pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her, the girl gratefully accepting it.
"Ah, looks like the calvary has arrived. Brace yourself, Captain." Ban nodded behind the two.
"Lady Elizabeth, where on earth have you been for the past hour! King Baltra has been worried sick, young lady!" Guila stormed up to the princess with Griamore tagging behind with a sheepish face and mouthing sorry to the Sins. "And you two, what exactly did you do to the princess? Why is she crying?"
"Calm down, Guila. Lady Elizabeth was just worried for Captain's safety during the fight. All is fine now—" Ban stopped short as the tip of a blade grazed his cheek. Guila glared up at him with the fury of a thousand suns as she pulled Elizabeth away from them, throwing a warning glance to Meliodas as well.
"Save your excuses, Sins, and do not ever approach the princess again like this—"
"Guila, enough."
Elizabeth firmly planted her foot down as she stared up at the knight with a soft expression. "They have done nothing wrong, I was the one who asked Griamore to bring me to the arena so I could watch the sparring matches. I meant no harm by my actions and I apologize deeply for the trouble I caused." She bowed her head towards the Holy Knight who immediately loosened her grip on the princess.
"Forgive me, Lady Elizabeth. I jumped to conclusions too quickly. Please, let us go back to the castle for now. Griamore, you are to follow as well for your punishment." The man quickly nodded in agreement and shuffled behind the fierce warrior sullenly.
"Goodbye Captain, it was lovely spending the day with you. I hope to see you again soon." Elizabeth called over her shoulder and waved as Guila guided her back to the castle. Meliodas waved back until she turned back around.
"Hey, Cap'n," Ban started, a heavy accent slipping into his words.
"Yeah?"
"Can I be yer best man?"
"Go to hell, Ban."
I am not good at fighting scenes lol hope you enjoyed!