Two Princes

Epilogue : 21 Days Later

"...and that is, in essence, a history of Britannia, as seen through one of Britannia's greatest legends, the goddess and the demon," Elizabeth concludes proudly. "Questions?"

When none of their classmates venture questions, Mr. Zaratras leans back in his desk chair, thoughtfully stroking his chin. "Whose idea was it to utilize Britannian mythology, and this story in particular, as a frame for your presentation?"

"It was Meliodas' idea, actually." Elizabeth half turns with a small smile toward her partner, leaning casually against the white board on the other side of their presentation materials. He dressed up for today: white button-down beneath the signature leather jacket, a red tie slung loosely around his neck. He smirks back at her, green eyes narrowed, and something inside of her somersaults. "He even hand-drew this for our report." She clicks a couple of buttons on the projector remote control and the portrait of the goddess and the demon, adapted from their book, swirls into focus, black and gold, and a quiet murmur ripples throughout the class. Mr. Z leans forward, elbows on his desk, and surveys the image with a critical eye.

Forty percent of our final grade, Elizabeth remembers, and she holds her breath.

"Well," he says finally. "The two of you have certainly put a lot of thought and effort into this project. I'm very impressed by the detail you've put into your drawing, Meliodas, and into your presentation as a whole, and I must commend you both on your originality. Very nicely done; thank you." He claps his hands, and the class bursts into applause as the two of them take their seats.

❤︎

Mr. Z dismisses the class with promises to have their grades posted by the end of the day. Meliodas walks Elizabeth to her next class, and the one after that, and the one after that, until the lunch bell rings.

"Do you want to sit with your friends today, Elizabeth?" Meliodas questions as she swaps textbooks at her locker. "It's been more than a month, hasn't it?"

It has, but she hesitates. Even though she and Arthur are cordial, she doesn't go out of her way to spend time around him so that they don't have to dance politely around the short, blond elephant in the room.

"Yes—it's been weeks, Elizabeth!" Diane cuts in, materializing from seemingly nowhere and gripping Elizabeth by the arm. She widens her violet eyes in a plea. "We miss you."

"Um—" Blue eyes dart nervously between violet and green, and Diane turns her gaze on Meliodas.

"Sit with us today."

He opens and closes his mouth, caught off guard.

"Both of you. Come on, sit with us!"

"Oh...kay." Elizabeth glances quickly at Meliodas and he shrugs one of his shoulders, following as Diane drags Elizabeth down the hall.

The cafeteria is full, lunch already in full swing, and Diane marches right up to what was once Elizabeth's usual table in the middle of the room, where King, Ban, Elaine, and Arthur are already chattering away over sandwiches and slices of pizza. Elaine's amber eyes light up when Diane all but shoves Elizabeth and Meliodas into two empty chairs and then commandeers the last one.

"Um—hey, guys," Elizabeth stutters, feeling shyer around her friends than she has in weeks. "Diane...said..."

"We have missed you!" Elaine squeals, throwing her tiny frame into Elizabeth's arms. "And Meliodas! It's so good to finally, you know, meet you!"

"Yeah, it's good to have you back, Elizabeth," King chimes in. He glances at Ban, and both of them look at Arthur. Diane narrows her eyes, and Elaine and Elizabeth wait in apprehension.

Arthur doesn't acknowledge the unease. He clears his throat, meeting Meliodas' eyes. "Good to see you again, Meliodas." He offers his hand.

The tension on Meliodas' face splits into a grin as he accepts Arthur's handshake. "It's good to see you too."

❤︎

Just after the final bell, Meliodas finds Elizabeth in the hallway at her locker, laughing with Diane and Elaine. "Elizabeth! Has Mr. Z posted our grade yet?"

"Let me see." She waves goodbye to her girlfriends and logs into her student account on her phone to check. "Here it is: 'Britannian History Partner Project, worth 40 percent...' Yes!" She throws her arms around him. "A-minus!"

He spins her around in the hallway, laughing. ❤︎