Behind the Clouds

Royal Summons

Only once before had Elizabeth been within Meliodas' room. Even then, she had only caught a brief glimpse of it because he told her that she didn't need to bother to clean it. In his words, his room was his responsibility and she only really needed to worry about the rest of the castle. Really, the only reason why Elizabeth didn't manage to worm her way into his room was because Meliodas had locked it. Otherwise she would have cleaned it just like the other room - the forbidden library.

Now, watching as the wind blew at the long grass of Star Lake's banks, Elizabeth could see why Meliodas had kept his room safe from her clumsy hands. Bright, airy, she could almost feel like she was some place familiar - somewhere that she had known ever since she was a child. A few trinkets were scattered about the room, most likely souvenirs from all of the places that Meliodas and Zeldris had visited over the years.

Personal. Everything about Meliodas' room seemed to be extremely personal - even if you weren't Meliodas himself. So, in truth, Elizabeth would definitely feel like an intruder if he had told her to clean this room. To her, it would be wrong to meddle as it didn't even seem messy.

"I brought some warm milk," Standing at his bedside, biting into her bottom lip, Elizabeth was dying for them to go back normal. For some kind of peace to be established between them. Hours had passed since his little episode, the oozing darkness removed from the floorboards and diluted with soapy water. Nevertheless, to Elizabeth, it still felt fresh. Raw. Voice soft and gentle, she asked, "Do you want a sip?"

Shaking his head, Meliodas made his intentions clear. Clearly, he didn't want to speak to nor see her for a while, not that Elizabeth could blame him. In her attempt to be kind and do a good job, she had accidentally ruined two years of his hard work. Two years that he would most likely never get back and had almost turned to desperate lengths to retain. Meliodas had been right to be mad. Elizabeth was mad at herself for making such a foolish blunder.

So, honestly, she couldn't blame him for not even wanting to look at her. Forced to rest, Zeldris and Hawk threatening to tie him up with rope, Meliodas was bed bound. Neatly tucked in, a cool washcloth on his forehead, it looked almost like he was recovering from an intense fever instead of a self-inflicted curse.

 "I'll leave it here for you then," Blushing, Elizabeth bowed as she left the milk on his bedside table. Scurrying away, she could feel the skirt of her dress tangling around her legs, and knew that she must've looked like a frightened little mouse as she made her escape. But she couldn't help it; Meliodas made her a nervous wreck whenever they were around each other. Something about his presence turned her brain to slushy mush.

Plus, like stated before, he probably wanted nothing to do with her. After messing up his work - failing at her own job - it was a miracle that Elizabeth was still allowed to hang round. Any other person would have fired her on the spot for such a huge mistake. Any other person wouldn't have cared about how she felt, wouldn't have even tolerated the idea of her living under the same roof as them for a moment longer. But Meliodas did.

At least, for now he did.

"Elizabeth," Just as she got to the door, a dainty hand resting over the brass handle, Meliodas called out to her. Tired, somewhat raspy, his voice carried the tones of a tired warrior rather than an annoyed and frustrated boss. Something about that put Elizabeth at ease, made her heart race with a different emotion than absolute panic and fear. "Wait."

Pausing at the door, daring to turn back, Elizabeth asked softly, "Do you want something?"

As she stared at the man, blue eyes wide with innocent curiosity and confusion, the young woman couldn't help but feel like she was placed under a spotlight. Bright. Harsh. Intense. Beaming right down onto her, making sweat bead on the back of her neck and edges of her hairline, Elizabeth could feel the pressure of Meliodas' stare. A stare she hadn't been under for the past few hours, saved by her cleaning duties and a whole flight of stairs.