Can I have Your Daughter?

Chapter 10

"I surrender!"

Meliodas' voice echoed through the tavern as the sins, including Gilthunder watched the scene like they were there, through a crystal controlled by Merlin.

They watched as Meliodas put his hands up and surrendered to the Knights. They watched as he was chained, locked, and bound in every way the knights possibly could. It would have been funny, seeing their short captain locked in so many heavy metal cuffs that they weren't even sure how he was still standing, if they hadn't been watching their captain getting arrested.

"Why aren't we helping Sir Meliodas?" Elizabeth's voice broke the silence of the stunned sins. The entire group sat in the Boar Hat, defeat written over all of their faces. All of them swayed slightly with the movement of Mama Hawk as she walked briskly over the land once more.

Elizabeth stood with fists clenched, angry. Angrier than any of them had ever seen her before. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks as she searched each of their faces. None of them even dared look her in the eyes. They didn't have the heart to. They were all just following orders... but this felt almost cruel.

None of them knew what to do. The Seven Deadly Sins were captain-less. And his last order? Get as far away as they could and don't come back until he tells them to...

Merlin revoked the magic from the crystal, causing the visual to disappear and leaving the tavern quiet again. No one had an answer for Elizabeth. Their captain ordered their retreat. Disobeying this order was a death sentence.

Diane, now shrunken thanks to Merlin's potions, sat quietly with her fists pressed tightly against her legs. King sat next to her looking dejected. For once, Gowther was keeping quiet as he observed the scene with keen interest.

"Damnit! I can't believe the captain is up to this shit again." Ban finally groaned, receiving more than a couple dirty looks from Diane, and a few from others around the tables. Though, they were all thinking the same thing; Ban had been the first to voice it aloud. It was so like their captain to take the full burden of everything.

Elizabeth watched Ban with concern, "What do you mean? What is Sir Meliodas doing? Why did he just surrender to the knights?!"

Ban groaned loudly again then rummaged through his leather pants pocket, quickly producing something and tossing it at Elizabeth. The small object bounced in her hands as she stumbled to catch it. Once she had, she looked at it confused. In her hands was a little box.

Everyone's eyes went wide and landed on Ban. "What the hell Ban! How the hell did you get ahold of that?!" King yelled, looking a little more than terrified. Ban merely ignored him while twisting his pinky finger in his ear like he hadn't heard or done anything wrong.

Elizabeth's sharp intake of breath brought everyone's attention back to her.

Tears streamed down her crimson cheeks as she looked down on the open box in her hands. Her hand shook as she reached into it and produced the little ring with the beautiful pearl. She didn't need to put it on to know that it would fit perfectly.

"I don't understand... did Sir Meliodas get arrested because of me? Because of this?" she stammered through tears that continued to streak down her face like waterfalls. She couldn't stop them.

"I don't understand! Why did Meliodas allow himself to get captured? What is this all about?!"

None of the sins could look her in the eye. They looked between one another, searching each other for the right answer. Should they say something? Meliodas' warning came to mind suddenly and they all kept their mouths shut, well almost everyone.

"Do you not understand the marriage rituals of your kind as well?" Gowther asked, coming closer to examine her face, which made her go even redder if that were at all possible.

"N-No...I just..." she sniffed as she searched each of their faces again, and not a single one of them could look at her again. "He... he was going to propose to me..." she said softly, and it was almost painful to hear the hope in her voice. It was no secret how much Elizabeth loved the captain. Knowing the truth was going to destroy her.

"The captain went and asked your old man for your hand." Ban started, getting warning looks all around the room.

"What?! Way I see it, Captain isn't here. The princess is the one in charge now. It was the King who made the Sins. That means she has just as much if not more power over the Sins as the captain did." He leaned back onto the back legs of his bar chair.

"Sir Meliodas asked for my hand?" Elizabeth chose to overlook the comment about her being in charge for the moment.

"Yeah, turns out, someone already called dibs on you."

"Ban!" Diane's eyes widened at his complete lack of tact. Elizabeth's face drained of color, and Diane went to her side in case the princess fainted. "You mean someone was already promised my hand?! When?! Why didn't anyone tell me!?"

Gilthunder cleared his throat, "You would have been told soon. You were promised to the future king of the northern kingdom Direneth. This is how Lyoness has been able to avoid war."

Elizabeth's hair fell in front of her face as her head lowered, and tears fell to the wooden floor. "I see..." she whispered, "Proposing to me... was an act of treason. My father sent the Holy Knights after us because my marriage to the future king of Direneth was for the survival of this country..."

Diane put a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder for support. "Elizabeth?"

"I won't let this country fall into war..." She looked up finally, the tears gone and replaced with determination in her eyes.

Everyone watched her surprised at how quickly she was able to make her decision. Was the captain less important to the princess after all?

"You're really going through with the marriage?" King asked, and Elizabeth shook her head.

"I refuse to be sold to someone as a condition for peace. I will find a way to keep us out of a war, but..." Elizabeth lifted the little box in her possession and smiled softly. "First, as the new captain, I am ordering the Seven Deadly Sins to help me break my fiancé out of prison." She took the little ring and pushed it onto her ring finger, and looked up, searching each of their faces.

What she was greeted with was shock first, then after looking at each other for a few moments, they all began to smile in complete and utter acceptance of her order, "Roger, captain!" They shouted together.