A/N: This was a STRUGGLE to get written up. The writer's block was real with this epilogue. It was just so... ugh. So, so long and dragged out and draining. BUT I kept my promise and finished this fic by the end of 2024. We did it guys! One fic down and another long long ass list of others to go. Slowly but surely, we're knocking down the number of fics waiting to be completed.
Anyway, I wanna thank everyone who stuck around to read this fic. Thanks for all the support be it reviews, follows, favourites or just even reading a chapter or two. I kept going to finish this story off for you guys!
If you don't wanna depart from my rabid writing, feel free to check out my other fics for this fandom (or others if we share the same interests in other fandoms). I have a TON for Seven Deadly Sins - most in progress but like 3 with good progress. Top suggestions include: 'We're Kids?!', 'Leap of Faith' and 'Love Me, Harm Me'.
I'll now stop with the shameless self-advertising. So, till next time loves,
Drama :)
Chapter Fourteen: Epilogue
Everything seemed to wrap up nicely after that - the war came to an end, the prince returned home and Elizabeth established a new routine. After all she had done, the goddess discovered that working at the hat shop had never really been her dream as much as being a prized housewife hadn't been either. When she had been offered the chance to return to normality, to work at the hat shop once more, Elizabeth had turned Margaret down with a warm smile and said that she would be off travelling. Which was true.
Life was too short to spend cooped up in a single hum-drum town. Hiding away from the world to avoid becoming her mother wasn't an option for Elizabeth anymore. Vast and huge, the wider world had so much to offer her; there was so much to see, so much to experience, and Elizabeth wanted to see it all.
So, when given the opportunity to leave once more, Elizabeth accepted it head on.
Now, only Elaine was left to tick off her list of goodbyes for this year's lengthy travels across the globe. Roughly six months had passed since they'd last seen each other, the two young women who used to be as thick as thieves now leading lifestyles that demanded much more attention. Whenever Elizabeth was in town, Elaine would be off in another part of the country, selling desserts at a pop-up stall or trying different ales with Ban. Whenever Elaine was in town, Elizabeth would be out of the country, exploring distant lands with equally as distant tales.
But today, for once, they were both in town. So they'd agreed to meet up at Margaret's hat shop.
"So... what brings you back to our sleepy, little town, Elizabeth?" Asking the casual question, her curiosity hidden, Margaret raised a brow as she bagged the two hats Elizabeth had bought, "You barely ever come back these days."
"I've only come to say goodbye to everyone again," Holding the bag with the hats she'd purchased - one for Merlin and one for her sister-in-law - Elizabeth was all aglow with excitement, "I've decided not to be scared of the world anymore, to explore what it has to offer. I thought you'd all be happy for me, Margaret?" Turning to Elaine, she raised a brow, "Didn't you tell me to get myself out there a little more?"
"I also told you to avoid dangerous people," Elaine gave a small smile, removing the dainty sunhat she was planning to buy, "It seems you didn't listen to me."
"Sounds like you met an interesting individual on your travels, Elizabeth," Smiling herself, Margaret counted the total of Elizabeth's purchases. Clicking, the buttons on her register calculated the costs seamlessly. "Make sure to invite us to the wedding. We'd be delighted to come and meet him."
Really, Margaret was acting as if the whole world didn't know who Elizabeth was rather obviously infatuated with. Countless times she'd been made a public spectacle whenever she went out with him. But she was getting used to it. Slowly. She'd have to if she wanted to continue living with him for the rest of her life - which was bound to be pretty lengthy with her goddess-inherited genes and the metal band on her finger.
"You went to the wedding, Margaret," A soft laugh escaped Elizabeth at the older woman's teasing tone, "You met him a year ago."
"Yes, but you didn't tell me about this," Margaret responded casually, easily accepting Elizabeth's payment for the hats. Passing the goddess the boxed and bagged hats, she raised a brow as she nodded toward Elizabeth, the loose and flowy material of the dress that subtly curved over her stomach, "When did that happen?"
Laughing, Elizabeth blinked, "Boredom?"
"They went to see a lake," Elaine supplied, an innocent smile on her lips as she placed her hat on the counter. Waving a hand dismissively, she added in a light tone, "That's all you need to know."
Eyes twinkling with knowledgeable amusement, Margaret gave a gentle hum as she input the total for Elaine's purchase. Equally as casual, Elaine maintained a straight face as Elizabeth pursed her lips, cheeks tinted with a deep red as she tried to keep her mortification hidden from the two women. But that was more or less impossible - all of it was written right across Elizabeth's face as her ears burned crimson.
Thankfully, a reprieve was given. Tinkling, the hat shop's door swung open and someone new was entering the shop. Judging from their tiny figure and the fast-paced footsteps racing their way, Elizabeth already knew who it was. What should have been a five minute visit to Margaret's shop had warped into a small half hour stretch of conversation and mindless browsing. Elizabeth had always appreciated a good hat.
"There you are!" Red-faced and out of breath, Merlin looked as if she'd ran all across town looking for her. Over the past year she had grown quite a bit, gotten a little taller and lost some of the baby fat around her face. Now her raven hair was clipped shorter, reminiscent of when she was once the Witch of the Waste, and she'd indulged in her habit of wearing strange pieces of glittery jewelry. Although now Merlin didn't use it to curse people; she liked to recite the meaning behind the runes carved on her glass beads.
"I've been looking for you everywhere!" Regaining her breath, Merlin stood a little straighter as she glanced at the triangle of women surrounding the counter. Folding her arms across her chest, the girl frowned as she continued, "Gelda and Zeldris are gonna be gone soon. You said we were going to see them this afternoon."
"Sorry, Merlin," Instantly snapping out of her embarrassed state, Elizabeth gave a sheepish smile as she took in the girl's concerns, "I lost track of time."
"Well, it's not too far of a walk to the bakery," Elaine chipped in, now with her new hat safely perched on her head. White and decorated with a bright sunflower, it suited it wonderfully. Humming a little, the blonde furrowed her brows as she tried to recall something, "If my memory serves correct. You were going to meet them there, weren't you?"
"Yes and we should get going if we want to be time. Come on, Elizabeth," Tugging at the woman's hand, Merlin seemed abuzz with excitement. Much too easily for a girl of her size and stature, the ex-magician dragged Elizabeth towards the shop's door. "They're gonna leave soon and I want to see Gelda's ring! Apparently it's got something really cool inscribed on the band."
Releasing a fond sigh, Elizabeth only shook her head as she waved goodbye to Elaine and Margaret. Of course Merlin would be entirely obsessed with a piece of unique jewelry. Of course she'd be more worried about missing that than not seeing Gelda and Zeldris for the next year. Typical of the cheeky little mite. Just another thing she'd come to grow used to over the past few months spent living with her.
"Safe travels!" That was the last thing Elizabeth heard as Merlin pulled open the door and dragged her outside. Safe travels.
In the end, Gelda and Zeldris expected someone to be late. By someone they meant Meliodas - because Meliodas always got roped into something. Perhaps it was fitting then that Elizabeth also arrived late, a flustered blush on her face from the hasty speed-walk she and Merlin had done through the backstreets of her hometown. In the past, walking through those alleyways had little thought tied to them; now all Elizabeth could really think about was what had happened to her that day, the day she first bumped into Meliodas.
Maybe that was why she'd let Merlin lead the way, fast-paced and eager to reach their destination as she tugged on Elizabeth's hand. Within record time, Elizabeth had reached the bakery that Elaine used to work at.
Outside, a few customers were eating pies and pastries, sat a small wooden tables as they browsed at the small menus or spoke to each other over plates of baked goods. Staff still fluttered about in the ugly pink uniforms or forest green suits. Bakers emerged from the kitchen, covered in flour and sweat from the ovens. Even the servers were still the same, eager young women who grinned and wore nice smiles as they took down your order.
Nothing had really changed over the past few years. Not much would. All that had changed in recent months was the military presence, the soldiers all packed up and returned to their homes. Many of them were from the larger cities after all, enlisted and displaced into more rural areas.
No more worrying about being called out anymore. No more looking over her shoulder for the men who thought Elizabeth was a cute little thing. Not anymore.
"Ah, so you're both late," Despite the disapproving tone, Zeldris wore a smile as Elizabeth and Merlin entered the bakery. Only she really saw those kinds of smiles - her and Gelda. Mr Zeldris Grouch was very picky with who he awarded them to. "Seems my brother is rubbing off on you, Liz."
"Give her a break, Zel," As Elizabeth and Merlin took a seat at the table, Gelda - the blonde woman from Vaizel - sighed and placed a gentle hand on the man's arm. Reminding him, keeping him calm. This was public space, after all. This was also meant to be a happy occasion. "She's pregnant."
"No thanks to you," Zeldris then turned on his brother, a frown furrowing at his dark brows. Wrinkles creased into his forehead as he looked ready to strangle Meliodas, "I can't believe you managed to convince her that it would be a good idea."
"What can I say?" His brother's complete opposite, Meliodas wore a sunny grin. Shrugging, he was entirely nonchalant as he cosied up to his wife's side, basked in her presence, "She loves me."
"Yeah, she loves you, alright," Zeldris grumbled, digging his fork into the flaky pastry of his apple pie. Melting on top, some clotted cream slopped onto his plate as he cut the pie in half. Eating his forkful of pie, Zeldris then pointed at Elizabeth with his knife, "If he messes up, call me. You know where to find me."
"I appreciate it, Zeldris," Giggling a little, Elizabeth tried to hide her small smile at Meliodas' fake face of horror, "But we'll be fine."
Ever since she'd saved Meliodas' life - risked her own life to save him - Zeldris had been like this. Grateful, indebted, he appreciated the change she brought into their lives that day, as well as the day she walked in from the rainy Wastes. Being a cleaning lady to the brothers was more than simply being a cleaning lady. Becoming a part of their lives intrinsically became a part of her job. Elizabeth became family, valued family.
To Zeldris, that meant a lot. Having her around, knowing she was there to keep his brother in line while he was away, meant more than she would really know. Even though Zeldris sounded snappy, made a lot of cold remarks toward his brother, Elizabeth knew that he said it all from a place of love. A place of care.
"Can I finally see the ring?" Not at all hiding her dwindling patience, Merlin eyed Gelda with hopeful eyes. With a small smile, Gelda gave a nod and placed her delicate, pale hand on top of the table. Fixed around her third finger, bright silver against alabaster skin, was a ring. As expected, there was a gemstone embedded into it; much more interesting was the letters inscribed into the metal. "Oh wow, it's amazing! It's actually... it's actually in ancient runes."
"Well, I did tell Zel about my family's history," Watching Merlin admire the band, Gelda seemed to reminisce something as she spoke, "My father really appreciates gestures towards my culture. So I told Zel to try and honour that if he's marrying into my family."
"Apparently, you're vampires," Meliodas... "Which is way cooler than coming from wizards if you ask me."
"So none of us are entirely human?" Elizabeth mused, focusing on how that was quite ironic. Camelot was a kingdom known for its high human population. Most countries in this part of the continent were populated by mostly non-human species like goddesses. Most people descended from those races tended to not mix in Camelot; they had their own areas in different sectors of the kingdom that rarely ever crossed.
"We're all non-human around here," Zeldris confirmed, nodding as he finished off his apple pie. Clinking, his fork landed on his plate with a satisfying sound before he raised a brow at Elizabeth, "Speaking of, what the hell is your kid gonna look like?"
"Are they gonna look like a dragon!" Piping up once more, Merlin was lit up with excitement once more. Dropping Gelda's hand, a wide beam on her face, she was practically bouncing on the spot as she asked, "Apparently Meliodas came out with scales. Is that true Zeldris?"
"I wasn't around to see it," Quickly putting down the claim, Zeldris put both hands into the air, "Would make a lot of sense though."
"Well, they might have wings like me," Smiling at the thought, to see another person who looked like her other than her mother, Elizabeth... "Although, I would've felt signs of it by now."
"They could be a late bloomer," Gelda chimed in, a teasing smile lighting up her crimson eyes, "Like your husband."
"Very funny," Rolling his eyes, Meliodas took a bite from his own slice of apple pie. Just like his brother.
"Sorry, it was just waiting to be said," Gelda gave a small giggle, her dainty hand covering her mouth. Soft, gentle, her pretty face creased with sincerity as she shared, "Don't worry, Zel's just the same."
"Very funny, wife of mine," Zeldris droned out, leaning back in his chair. Cutting, a definitive glare was sent to the blonde sitting across the table from him, "But we are not the same."
And then the table burst into laughter all around. Following a similar note, the rest of the evening passed by in a similar fashion. They finished up at the bakery, split their ways when the sky had begun to grow dark and headed towards home. Well, their respective homes now.
Zeldris no longer lived with them anymore. The castle had been destroyed after Elizabeth had freed Hawk and given Meliodas back his heart. Home had a different meaning to them all now. No longer was it tied to the walking castle, the vast green stretches of land that made up the Wastes. Upstairs, on the second floor, Zeldris' room was now empty, furniture replaced with the beginnings of a nursery. Merlin had her own room now. Elizabeth and Meliodas shared one.
Even the castle had changed. Somehow, someway, they'd found a giant green pig that was willing to carry them around wherever they wanted to go. Although, Elizabeth wasn't complaining - as long as she got to keep the people she cared most about.
"How's your heart feeling today?" Joining him on the balcony, watching as the world passed on by beneath their feet, Elizabeth asked the usual daily question. Their little check in. Something they'd done ever since she'd returned his heart.
"Good as new," Flashing her a grin, Meliodas seemed as he always did these days: happy, content, not like he was going to run away and start a whole new life under a whole new name. At least, if that last option did happen, he'd be taking her with him. He didn't have much choice in the matter.
"I'm glad to hear that," Elizabeth sighed, closing her eyes as she leaned against his side, listening to the steady heartbeats coming from his chest. Normal beats. Regular beats. A mundane sound she'd never think she'd be so relieved to hear and yet she was glad it was still there, still constant. Meliodas seemed to share that sentiment. For who knows how long, they would stand there and do nothing but exist in that little moment, this simple action.
And this, Elizabeth found, was something she didn't mind spending the rest of her days doing. This was fine. This was perfect. This was enough.
Just listening to his heartbeat.