Savior

chapter five

After about an hour and half into Meliodas and Reina's fun in the bedroom, they had arrived at Istar. Meliodas exited first, taking less time to get himself together. He originally insisted on staying by her side but she had convinced him to head in first to check the security of the place. Reina was nervous. This would be her first time in three thousand years stepping foot on holy land.

She stood outside the door of Istar for quite some time. The shakiness in her legs had now stopped but the claminess of her hands had only just begun. As soon as she stepped into the door, she spotted two druids and a priest bowing before her. She could feel more of her power restore just by standing on holy ground.

"Lady Reina," the trio greeted.

"You may stand," Reina instructed. The trio did as commanded.

"Lady Reina, it's a pleasure to see you again," Jenna greeted.

"It is nice to meet you, Lady Reina. I've heard much about you. I'm Theo, the priest in charge of protecting the chiefs." He smiled.

"Lady Reina," Zaneri approached, grabbing Reina's hand and putting it on her chest. "Lord Zander awaits."

"Take me to him," Reina nodded. Zaneri let go of her to guide her into the tower.

Reina entered the dark tower, sensing Meliodas and Elizabeth inside already. Zaneri opened a door and gestured for Reina to enter. Zaneri closed the door quickly after she was inside. Reina looked around the door room, sensing merely a trace of her friend.

Suddenly, she was tackled to the ground by a familiar aura. She laid on the floor with a young looking boy on top of her.  The boy finally looked up at her face. He was thin but had underlying muscles. His white hair shined along with his wings as his ocean eyes pierced hers.

"It's really you..." he whispered.

Reina smiled, "I'm here Zander." She spoke softly, reaching to touch his cheek.

His eyes soon filled with tears as he leaned into her shoulder to cry into. He sobbed in relief. "You were gone," he cried.

"And now I'm not. I sense the others, why are you not together?" She questioned.

He put his head down in shame. "After you died, we all saw ourselves as failures. You were the one who brought us together, who kept us together. With you gone and no demons to kill, we saw no reason to stay together. Losing you is what tore us apart."

Reina smiled as she raised her hand to wipe his tears, "I'm sorry for leaving."

He shook his dead angrily, "don't apologize for dying! It's that demons fault, Meliodas."

"Meliodas isn't who killed me, Zander. It was his brother Zeldirs after I took the blow for Meli." Reina revealed.

"Why would you take a deadly hit for a demon, especially the demon king's son?!" He yelled.

"Admittedly, I was in love with him." She saw more tears as well as disbelief fall upon his face. "We believed in the same cause. We both fought for freedom, and equality. He made me realize hating an entire race based on one person's actions was unfair."

"You knew how I felt, you're a goddess - you had to have known how I felt about you and yet you chose a demon over me?" He yelled as he flew off her.

She sat up, "There was never a choice, Zander. It was always him, and will always be him."

"Then you're a traitor." he growled.

"I've been a traitor for a long time. As soon as I left, I was considered an enemy." she added.

"No! You were a friend who left to fight for her beliefs. Now I know you left to be with a demon! You aided him in his fight against us!" he accused.

"I did not. I left Meliodas at the same time I left the temple. I did not assist in the fight. I only saved his life." She defended.

"You know you didn't save him. You know about his curse because you made the punishment! It was you who decided that whomever decided to betray the goddess race in such a way, deserved a life of undying misery." Zander shouted.

Reina shook her head, "I couldn't have known that such punishment would be used on Meliodas. He was caught with Elizabeth, not me."

"Elizabeth? The supreme deity's daughter? So he betrayed you by falling in love with someone else yet you still died for him?!" He exclaimed.

"His betrayal did not lessen my love for him." Reina sadly smiled. "I did not betray the goddess race. I simply did not want to take part in a war that had no meaning. I fell in love with a demon, who I died to protect. I didn't betray anyone but myself in loving him."

"You're still with him? Meliodas is here, and you have his stench on you." he grimaced.

"I am. He is on our side, looking to kill the ten commandments that have been brought back to the world. He no longer has feelings for Elizabeth either. He is dedicated to me and our cause. Zander," she grabbed his hand, "neither Meliodas or I, am a threat to anyone but the demon race. I swear to you on the heavenly oaths, I have not and will not betray you." Her hand lit with a symbol that soon showed on his hand, marking the completed agreement.

Zander looked as the mark faded when she pulled away, "a heavenly oath."

"It is unbreakable unless I wish to die, and I do not want to go through that again." She joked. He stared at her blankly. "Okay, not funny, I get it." She raised her hands in mock defense.

Elsewhere in the tower, Meliodas was attempting and failing at completing his trial in order to regain his powers. He relived every memory he had with Reina prior to her death, only for him to then see her die. He saw her die a new way each time and each time he failed in saving her.

WC 1023

Authors Note: my Inspo for Zander -