Diane could always tell when something was bothering King. The giantess frowned, watching the fairy finish off his third ale. After a long, harsh winter, Spring had arrived, bringing with it new hope, new life, and some much-needed warmth. King seemed to be the only one in Liones not happy to see the return of the season. It had been that way for as long as she had known him.
She scanned the tavern, which at the moment was full of the usual customers. She rested her gaze on Ban. The immortal man stood near the entrance to the kitchen, he too seemed to be staring in King's direction, a sadness was in his eyes. Diane didn't know what to make of this.
King stood slowly, making his way to the door.
"Heading out?" Meliodas asked from behind the bar.
"Yeah, I'll be back later." The fairy called back. It was around this time each year that King disappeared, sometimes for days at a time. Diane had always respected his privacy, though she was curious about his absences. She made her decision in an instant, quietly slipping passed the patrons and her fellow sins.
The sun shone down brilliantly, forcing Diane to raise a hand to her eyes, to shield them from the blinding light. She gazed around at her surroundings.
"Where are you, King?" She groaned in frustration. He couldn't have gone far is the short time it took her to step outside the tavern. As her eyes began to adjust to the brightness, she lowered her arm. She could think of only a handful of places King visited when his heart was breaking and set off on the road leading toward the forest.
She passed the newly open flowers that swayed in the cool breeze. Normally she would have stopped to admire their beauty, at the moment, King was her priority. The fairy had always taken care of her, she owed him this much. She walked for what felt like hours, getting further and further away from the town with no sign of the fairy.
Diane stopped to rest by the river.
"I wish I could understand what hurts him so much."She thought out loud to herself, peering into the water at her reflection. "Could I have done something?" It was then that she saw the small figure fly above her. King didn't seem to notice her as he flew past. She stood quickly, following him silently until they found themselves in the middle of a clearing, surrounded on all sides by white and pink roses. A single tree stood in the middle, the sun streamed through the branches, resting on what appeared to be a stone.
Diane quietly moved through the rose bushes, kneeling behind the plants for cover.
King dropped to his knees in front of the stone, blinking away several tears that were falling. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small pink bear. He held it close to his chest for a moment. before lovingly propping the toy upon the stone.
"H-Happy Birthday, Tiana." He said, losing his battle with his emotions. "It's h-hard to believe that it's been so long since-"The fairy paused, suddenly bursting into tears. Diane had heard King cry many times before, but this was different. The deep, heart-wrenching sobs gripped her heart. She fought the urge to wrap her arms around him.
"I-I'm so sorry." He choked out. "N-Not a day's gone by that I haven't wished it had been me. That I haven't wished things had been different. I miss you so much. In the short time I got to spend with you, I-I learned what it meant to love, but I also learned what true pain feels like. I swear to you, I'll never forget you and I'll always love you. I can't ask you to forgive me. I know that what happened to you was my fault and I hope you know that I would've gladly traded my life for yours. I never knew I could love someone that much. M-My precious one, I'll hold you in my heart until I take my final breath, which I often hope comes sooner rather than later. Maybe then, we'd meet again and I'd finally have the chance to tell you." King sobbed into his hands
Unable to listen to the pained sobs another minute, Diane snuck away, hurrying back in the direction she came. Hot tears streamed down the giant's face as she raced along the river, not bothering to stop until she was once again outside the Boar Hat. She sank to the ground. It was there that Elizabeth found her.
"Diane, are you alright?" The princess asked with concern, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Diane couldn't find the words to explain what she saw. Elizabeth pulled her into a tight embrace.
"It's going to be alright."She soothed. "When you're ready, you can tell me. I'll do my best to help you."
King returned late that night, finding Ban and Meliodas sharing a drink. The two sat in silence, the immortal man gazed into his stein sorrowfully, while the captain seemed to study him.
"Hey, King."Meliodas greeted in his usual cheerful tone. the fairy didn't bother to look at him.
"Hey, Captain."He replied somberly. The dragon sin looked from Ban back to King.
"What's gotten into you two?" He asked. "You're acting really weird. "
"I don't want to talk about it, "King said, wrapping his arms around himself and turning away.
"You sure?" the blond asked.
"Yeah, but thanks. I think I'm just going to go to bed. "King took a step toward the stairs.
"Hey."Ban called out. "come have a drink with us." he requested sadly.
"You're the last person I wanna see today, I'd rather-"
"Remember your promise, King." The man said, lifting the stein to his lips. The fairy hesitated, then lowered himself into the chair across from Ban. Meliodas offering King some ale, which he accepted with a sigh.
"You know," the captain began. "If there's something going on, part of being a team is helping each other out. I'm not gonna make you tell me, but I'm just throwing it out there."
"Long story and it's not one I'm ready to tell. Today's been tough, can we just get the next few days over with as peacefully as possible?"Ban reached out as if to lightly touch King's but quickly thought better of it. Neither Ban nor King spoke again that night, leaving Meliodas to continue to wonder about the promise Ban had mentioned and what happened to King.